Dietary glycemic load and hepatocellular carcinoma with or without chronic hepatitis infection

Patients and methods: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in Italy in 1999-2002, including 185 HCC cases and 412 controls who answered a validated food frequency questionnaire and provided blood samples. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using unconditional multiple logistic regression. Results: We observed a positive association between GL and HCC overall, with an OR of 3.02 (95% CI 1.49-6.12) for the highest quintile of GL compared with the lowest and a significant trend. The OR among HCC cases with evidence of chronic infection with HBV and/or HCV was 3.25 (95% CI 1.46-7.22), while the OR among those with no evidence of infection was 2.45 (95% CI 0.69-8.64), with no significant trend. The association was not explained by the presence of cirrhosis or diabetes. Conclusions: High dietary GL is associated with increased risk for HCC. The positive association was most pronounced among HCC cases with HBV and/or HCV markers.