The relationship between hepatitis and the chances of developing liver cancer are quite complicated.

There is no link between hepatitis A infection and liver cancer but both hepatitis B and C can lead to an increased risk of developing the condition.

In some parts of the world (especially parts of the Far East and Central Africa) hepatitis B and C are both very common and can be passed to children at birth. The infection can also be transmitted through blood transfusions and infected needles, used by drug addicts.

Long term carriers of either the hepatitis B or C virus have a greater risk of developing liver cancer. Depending on which part of the world you look at, anywhere from 2 out of 10 to 9 out of 10 people who get liver cancer are found to be carriers of one or other virus. The risk is rather greater with hepatitis C than hepatitis B.

In hepatitis C infections the development of liver cancer is almost always associated with the cirrhosis of the liver. In hepatitis B infections about half of those develop liver cancer will have cirrhosis and about half will have an active, long-term, chronic form of the hepatitis.

Only people who continue to carry the virus after an episode of hepatitis B or C infection are at any risk and the time scale for developing a liver cancer is very long. For people who are born with the virus, those with hepatitis B are unlikely to develop a liver cancer before they are 50 and for hepatitis C age is over 60. For people who acquire hepatitis B or C as a blood infection in later life for hepatitis B it will take about 50 years for a cancer to appear and for hepatitis C, about 30 years.

If you have had either hepatitis B or C then your doctors will routinely check to make sure whether or not you remain a carrier of the virus. If you are found to be a carrier then they are likely to offer you regular screening, with an ultrasound scan of your liver, as a precautionary measure so that if ever a cancer should appear it would be picked up at an early stage.