{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T10:14:50Z","timestamp":1766139290931,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763424000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan","award":["NSTC-113-2118-M-038-001","NSTC-113-2118-M-038-002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NSTC-113-2118-M-038-001","NSTC-113-2118-M-038-002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: While smoking, areca nut chewing, and alcohol are established risk factors, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has emerged as a potential risk for oral neoplasia. This study explores any association of HCV infection with oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) and oral cancer, following adjustment for HCV-related liver disease in a large screening cohort. Methods: Data from 37,720 participants in the Changhua Community-Based Integrated Screening Program (2005\u20132014) with smoking or areca nut use history were analyzed. OPMD and cirrhosis were identified at screening, while oral and liver cancers were diagnosed during follow-up. Information on demographics, lifestyle, and clinical factors, including chronic and active HCV infection, was collected. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess associations between HCV status and disease outcomes. Results: The prevalence of hepatitis C viremia was higher in the OPMD group (4.4%) and oral cancer group (3.3%) compared to the screen-negative group (2.7%), and highest in the cirrhosis\/liver cancer group (23.3%). The odds ratios of OPMD and oral cancer were 1.59 (95% CI: 1.20\u20132.01) and 1.22 (95% CI: 0.67\u20132.23), respectively, in subjects with hepatitis C viremia compared to those without. After adjusting for confounding factors, individuals with hepatitis C viremia were at increased risk of OPMD by 50% (aOR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.17\u20131.92) but not a statistically significant elevated risk for oral cancer (aOR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.59\u20132.01), which was possibly attenuated due to HCV-related liver disease (aOR = 11.59; 95% CI: 8.33\u201316.13). Conclusions: HCV infection may act as an early risk factor for OPMD, though its progression to oral cancer may occur alongside the risk of HCV-related liver diseases. Including HCV status in screening may aid early detection and secondary prevention of oral cancer in high-risk groups.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers17223695","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T16:49:51Z","timestamp":1763484591000},"page":"3695","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Hepatitis C Virus Infection Associated with Oral Potentially Malignant Disorder, Oral Cancer, and Liver Diseases: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Donlagon","family":"Jumparway","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chen-Yang","family":"Hsu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Daichung Hospital, Miaoli 350, Taiwan"},{"name":"Taiwan Association of Medical Screening, Taipei 103, Taiwan"},{"name":"Master of Public Health Degree Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0628-8768","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy Ming-Fang","family":"Yen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ting-Yu","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Data Analytics and Statistics, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2103-0746","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saman","family":"Warnakulasuriya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King\u2019s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5799-6705","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tony Hsiu-Hsi","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Data Analytics and Statistics, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3122-060X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dih-Ling","family":"Luh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402306, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402306, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chiu-Wen","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100229, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0549-9993","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pongdech","family":"Sarakarn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1091-387X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yen-Po","family":"Yeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Changhua County Public Health Bureau, Changhua 500009, Taiwan"},{"name":"Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100229, Taiwan"},{"name":"Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10031, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9750-3015","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sam Li-Sheng","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"612","DOI":"10.1016\/j.oooo.2017.12.011","article-title":"Oral potentially malignant disorders: Risk of progression to malignancy","volume":"125","author":"Speight","year":"2018","journal-title":"Oral Surg. 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