Multiple pregnancies, hepatitis C, and risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian women.

Background: The reasons for the worldwide sex disparity in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain elusive. We investigated the role of multiple pregnancies on the associations between viral hepatitis C (HCV) infection and HCC risk among Egyptian women.

Methods: We used data collected from blood specimens and questionnaires administered to female HCC cases and controls in Cairo, Egypt, from 1999 through 2009.