Apoptosis related proteins p53 and Bcl-2 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with HCC. These viral infections may be responsible, at least in a part, for the mutational change in the p53 gene and may affect the expression of the Bcl-2 protein in HCC patients. p53 and Bcl-2 proteins overexpression was detected in serum and tissues in HCC patients positive for hepatitis B or C or both and this overexpression was more frequently associated with HBV infection than HCV infection.