CIRRHOSIS AND PRIMARY HEPATIC CANCER IN PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN A geographic pathological study

Abstract

The following tentative conclusions were drawn from a study of 123 histologically confirmed cases of liver diseases in Peshawar, Pakistan, and from a comparison of these with biopsy and autopsy cases seen at the Department of Pathology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University: 1. Cirrhosis as it exists in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan is morphologically the same disease as that found in Japan, and our classification seems to be applicable to both. 2. The main varieties of cirrhosis found are similar, with predominance of types A (“postnecrotic”) and B (“posthepatitic”), in both Peshawar and Tokyo. 3. It is possible that hepatoma has a high frequency in Peshawar, and it may be expected to rise further as the age composition of the population changes. The same conclusion seems to apply to other, areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. 4. Cholangioma appears to be relatively rare, and is not associated with parasitic infestation, as is the case in China and Thailand. 5. Infective hepatitis exists in Peshawar, and deserves consideration as a possible factor in the causation of cirrhosis and hepatoma. 6. Fatty liver is infrequent, a phenomenon probably due to teetotalism.