Epidemiology, clinical features, and impact of food habits on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: A case-control study in Bangladesh

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most predominant cause of HCC. Concerns arise for the presence of additional risk factors, as there is still a large proportion of patients without HBV or HCV infection. Previous studies have reported that higher intake of fruits and vegetables and reduced consumption of red/processed meat might play a protective role in HCC etiology, though the nationwide proof is limited. Hence, we studied multiple risk factors including food habit, lifestyle, and clinical implications of HCC patients in Bangladeshi. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical data, as well as data on food habits, were collected in this study. Our results indicated that a high intake of rice (AOR 4.28, 95% CI 1.48 to 14.07, p = 0.011), low intake of fruits (AOR = 4.41 95% CI 1.48–15.46; p = 0.012), leafy vegetables (AOR = 2.80, 95% CI 1.32–6.08; p = 0.008), and fish (AOR = 4.64 95% CI 2.18–10.23; p<0.001) increased the HCC risk. Moreover, a high intake of eggs (AOR = 2.07 95% CI 0.98–4.43; p = 0.058) also showed an increased risk. Roti, non-leafy vegetables, red meat, and tea were found to have no association with HCC risk. This study revealed that food habit patterns and lifestyle may have a profound effect on HCC development among Bangladeshi patients in addition to well established risk factors.