AFLATOXINAS Y SU ASOCIACIÓN CON EL DESARROLLO DEL CARCINOMA HEPATOCELULAR

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cause of cancer related deaths every year. It’s a neoplasia with an increasing incidence rate worldwide and it accounts 90% of primary hepatic tumors which makes it the most common of this kind of cancer. Research shows that HCC has many etiologies, and chronic exposure to micotoxins like aflatoxins, especallly aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which is produced by Aspergillus fungi, causes a mutation in codon 249, exon 7 of the P53 gene which leads to HCC. AFB1 can be found in contaminated food, like corn, rice and beans. A relationship between the consumption of these foods and HCC in has been established in countries in Asia and Africa. This paper work reviews existing information about the mechanisms of cancerigenicity of AFB1 which leads to the development of HCC. Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Aflatoxin B1, Micotoxin, Aflatoxicosis.