Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and current situation in the Czech Republic

Hepatocelullar carcinoma (HCC) is the commonest primary liver malignacy. Its incidence is increasing worldwide. In the Czech Republic, about 250 new cases are reported per year. The patient's prognosis depends on early diagnosis and initiation of a correct therapeutical procedure. During the decision making process, tumor staging, as well as the chronic liver disease stage, must be considered. Surgery, i.e. liver resection or transplantation, is the only potentially curable method. Other treatment options include chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation, alcoholization and, currently poorly effective systemic chemotherapy. Current monitoring of the radical procedures in the Czech Republic is unsatisfactory. Although surgical treatment has been performed by many clinics, based on the available data, none of the following could be assessed: the number of surgically managed HCC patients in the Czech Republic per year, disease staging in these patients and their short-term and long-term treatment outcomes. In the Czech Republic, 45 liver transplantations have been performed, data on resection procedures are not available. The aim of the authors is to support the Central HCC Patient Registry, presented at the following website: www.koc.cz.