The epidemiology of hepatocellular cancer in Poland

Abstract

IntroductionThis article summarize the available data on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) epidemiology in Poland. Data regarding the HCC incidence rate are divergent. Statistical data presented by NFZ appear more credible in that matter than data published by the Polish Oncology Center (POC).Material and methodsThe analysis included data from the Polish Bibliography Database (GBL), the Polish National Health Fund Institution (NFZ), the scientific paper “Malignant neoplasms in Poland” issued by POC and the central liver transplant registry maintained by the Polish transplant coordinating center “Poltransplant” (2010-2015).ResultsData regarding the HCC incidence rate are divergent. Statistical data presented by NFZ appear more credible in that matter than data published by POC.ConclusionsThe occurrence of HCC in Poland is at the average European level and is similarly rising. The incidence rate is underestimated. It is due to faulty epidemiology data collection techniques. The highest risk group comprises men over the age of 50 with concomitant liver cirrhosis. The most common HCC etiology is HCV infection.

Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Latvia from 1997 to 2017

“…Thus, in the latter decade, Latvia is situated in Northern Europe, which has the lowest incidence of HCC, in contrast to Africa and Asia, which account for 72%-75% of HCC cases (McGlynn, 2015;Singal, 2020). The incidence of HCC in Latvia is similar to that in other North European countries, with a greater frequency of cases in men (61.8%) (McGlynn, 2015;Wasiak, 2018). The second decade, from 2007 to 2017, showed a tendency for an increasing incidence of HCC in Latvia (Table 1), similar to the findings observed worldwide (Mak, 2018;Kulik, 2019) and in other European countries (Jepsen, 2017;Sigurdsson, 2020).…”

“…This increase in the incidence of HCC in Latvia can be explained by the availability of better diagnostic methods for liver diseases and better accessibility to and quality of radiological diagnostic techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The increased HCC incidence rates for men aged over 40 years suggest that additional screening systems should be developed, especially for patients with chronic liver diseases and HCC risk factors (Wasiak 2018;Sigurdsson 2020). The increase in HCC risk factors, such as HCV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) (Mak, 2018;Kulik, 2019), could be the reason for the increasing incidence, but these factors were not evaluated accurately during the collection of data for the registry.…”

Overall Survival in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Sorafenib: A Polish Experience

“…The frequency of its occurrence has been increasing in the USA, Europe, and Asia, and the mortality caused by this type of cancer is expected to rise in the upcoming decade [ 3 ]. The incidence of liver cancer is also increasing in Poland, reaching about 2000 new cases annually [ 4 ].…”