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HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Worms found in freshwater fish in Southeast Asia can lead to a rare type of liver cancer in people who eat raw fish, with one province in Thailand logging the world's highest rate of new cases, a study found.
An estimated 6 million people are infected with the parasite in Thailand. High rates also have been observed in neighboring Laos, where a traditional dish is made from raw fish, according to the study in the online journal PLoS Medicine.
The worm, endemic in the Mekong River countries of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, is ingested through the fish and attaches to the liver. Over several decades, the infection can create ulcers and inflammation leading to tumors and cholangiocarcinoma, or cancer of the bile ducts. Most patients typically develop cancer in their 40s or 50s.
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