Characteristics of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study

Overview

Journal Hepatol Forum

Publisher Kare Publishing

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 2022 Sep 30

PMID 36177097

Authors

Fatih Guzelbulut

Umit Karaogullarindan

Hikmet Akkiz

Engin Altintas

Coskun Ozer Demirtas

Ozgur Bahadir

Caglayan Keklikkiran

Abdullah Emre Yildirim

Mesut Gumussoy

Hatice Rizaoglu Balci

Pinar Gokcen

Dilara Turan Gokce

Cem Simsek

Ilker Turan

Guray Can

Volkan Gokbulut

Serkan Yaras

Gupse Adali

Remzi Adnan Akdogan

Ufuk Avcioglu

Mehmet Demir

Hamdi Levent Doganay

Sezgin Vatansever

Hale Sumer

Feyza Dilber

Meral Akdogan Kayhan

Hatice Yasemin Balaban

Halis Simsek

Osman Cavit Ozdogan

Ulus Salih Akarca

Zeki Karasu

Fulya Gunsar

Ramazan Idilman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by underlying cause and determine the characteristics and clinical features of patients with HCC.

Materials And Methods: The study comprised 1802 HCC patients diagnosed and followed up by Liver Diseases Outpatient Clinics in 14 tertiary centers in Turkey between 2001 and 2020.

Results: The mean age was 62.3±10.7 years, and 78% of them were males. Of the patients, 82% had cirrhosis. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was the most common etiology (54%), followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (19%) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (10%). Of the patients, 56% had a single lesion. Macrovascular invasion and extrahepatic spread were present in 15% and 12% of the patients, respectively. The median serum alpha-fetoprotein level was 25.4 ng/mL. In total, 39% of the patients fulfilled the Milan Criteria. When we compared the characteristics of patients diagnosed before and after January 2016, the proportion of NAFLD-related HCC cases increased after 2016, from 6.6% to 13.4%.

Conclusion: Chronic HBV and HCV infections remain the main causes of HCC in Turkey. The importance of NAFLD as a cause of HCC is increasing.

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