(Yicai Global) Sept. 15 -- A University of Hong Kong study shows that antiviral therapy for hepatitis B can reduce the incidence of liver cancer, which is most pronounced between the ages of 55 and 64, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported on Sept. 14.

The team studied the effects of hepatitis B antiviral therapy on the incidence of liver cancer in Hong Kong and the efficacy of antiviral therapy on different age groups in the special administrative region.

The incidence of liver cancer in hepatitis B-carrying males aged between 55 and 64 fell by 24 percent, while in women the incidence dropped by 8.5 percent.

By strengthening community health care, liver cancer in Hong Kong can be better controlled, said Yuan Mengfeng, professor of gastrointestinal and liver sciences at the university's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

Fatigue, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, a swollen liver and liver dysfunction are all key symptoms of hepatitis B, which could become more serious or even liver cancer. Antiviral treatments inhibit the spreading of the virus through medication and can eventually eliminate the disease. It is currently the standard treatment for hepatitis B.