Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian patients with HCV-related cirrhosis

Egypt has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide and also has rising rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV is the dominant viral cause of HCC in Egypt. Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased risk of developing HCC. We studied the role of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in HCC development in Egyptian patients with HCV-related cirrhosis. We enrolled 583 HCC patients with HCV-related cirrhosis and compared them with 580 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis in a retrospective hospital-based case–control study. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify the variables associated with HCC. T2DM prevalence was 29.7 % in patients with HCC and 13.4 % in cirrhotic patients, P 5 years were significant independent predictors of HCC (OR 1.16, 95 % CI: 1.08–1.76, P = 0.009; OR 1.91, 95 % CI: 1.31–2.6, P < 0.001 respectively). Our study confirmed that T2DM is an independent risk factor for HCC in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis. The risk is related to the duration of diabetes.