Continuous liver cell regeneration may allow the accumulation of mutational events that lead to the emergence of an HCC clone. A range of hepadnaviruses also infect birds e.g. woodchuck hepatitis virus-induces cancer a year or so after exposure. In these animals no cirrhosis develops and there is little hepatitis. But the viral DNA is rearranged and the tumour is monoclonal. This suggests that specific viral functions are more important for initiation and maintenance of proliferative changes than regenerative events.
Medical workers are susceptible.
Stable virus, mucosal and epidermal routes of entry. Infection can be prevented by avoiding direct contact with body fluids. But this virus will remain a serious public health problem for years to come, despite the vaccine. Therapy is liver resection, transplantation, or ethanol injection into the tumour. Search for more information on this topic .