Demographic Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Filipino Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Liver Tumor Registry

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in the world. HCC is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, but it is now the third leading cause of cancer deaths due to its high case fatality rate. Its annual incidence is also increasing, as indicated by a study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control; incidence increased to 3.0 per 100,000 in 2006 from 2.7 per 100,000 in 2001. There are marked geographic differences in its prevalence, reflecting the varied risk factors in different regions of the world. Over 80% of the world’s HCC cases are found in Africa and Asia, where Hepatitis B and C viral infections are still endemic. The incidence rates in developing countries are more than double that found in developed countries. Despite this, the past three decades have seen an increasing incidence in the developed countries probably related to the HCV infection epidemic from the 1970s to the 1990s as well as the observed increase in prevalence of obesity and its relation to the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and its sequelae of cirrhosis and HCC. 1,2