Chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. More than 80% of HCC cases are from the Asian and African continents, and more than 50% of cases are from mainland China. Approximately 350 million to 400 million persons are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and this virus is the most common cause of HCC worldwide.

Microscopic colitis: a large retrospective analysis from a health maintenance organization experience.

Aim: To examine the demographic data on a large multi-ethnic population of patients with microscopic colitis (MC) in Southern California and to determine the association of MC with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with MC by colonic biopsy from 1996-2005 were identified utilizing a pathology database. All biopsies were reviewed by experienced pathologists utilizing standard histologic criteria.