Clinical Characteristics of 130 Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Followed at a Tertiary Hospital From Brazil

Abstract

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant tumor of the liver that represents a serious public health problem all over the world, corresponding to the third cause of cancer death worldwide. The object was to present the clinical characteristics and follow-up of patients with HCC attended at the University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto-USP (HCFMRP-USP), Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil.MethodsEpidemiological and clinical data were revised from medical records.ResultsA total of 130 patients participated in the study, 81.5% of them being males. Mean (± SD) age at the time of HCC diagnosis was 55.6 ± 11.2 years. Cirrhosis was present in 89.2% of cases, with 53.4% of the patients being Child-Pugh A; chronic hepatitis B or C without cirrhosis was detected in 3.2%, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in 3.8%, and a normal liver in 3.8%. Orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in 26.2% of the subjects, 16.9% of the patients were submitted to surgical resection, and 6.2% to percutaneous ethanol infusion (PEI). Transarterial embolization and transarterial chemoembolization were performed in 9.2% of the patients. Systemic chemotherapy was applied to 4.6% of cases and 24.6% of the patients received symptomatic treatment.ConclusionThus, in the present series cirrhosis was the main risk factor for HCC, with 53.4% of the patients being Child-Pugh A. Liver transplantation or surgical resection of the tumor, potentially curative techniques, were possible in only 43.1% of cases.

Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in outpatients with cirrhosis in Brazil: A 10-year retrospective cohort study

“…Because Brazil is a country of continental proportions, the higher incidence detected in the South may be explained by geographic and/or racial heterogeneity, as well as specificities related to risk factors and access to health care services for screening, diagnosis, and follow-up. The predominance of the male sex and the mean age at diagnosis were similar to those described in other national[13,29,30] and international[12,31,32] studies.…”

Role of Alleles and Genotypes of Polymorphisms of IL-18 (-607 C/A; and -137 C/G), IFN-γ (+874 A/T) and TNF-α (-238 A/G and -308 A/G) and HLA-G Genes in the Susceptibility of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…The mean (± SD) age at the time of HCC diagnosis was 55.6±11.2 years, with 81.5% of them being males. Cirrhosis was present in 89.2% of cases, with 53.4% of the patients being ChildPugh A; chronic hepatitis B or C without cirrhosis was detected in 3.2%, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in 3.8%, and a normal liver in 3.8% [5].…”