3. Worldwide Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Epidemiology
High (> 30:100,000)
Intermediate (3-30:100,000)
Low or data unavailable (<
3:100,000)
Worldwide Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Tumor incidence varies significantly, depending on geographical
location.
4. Epidemiology
5th most common malignancy worldwide
3rd most common cause of cancer related death
5 yr survival < 10%
Most common primary liver malignancy
Reversal in cirrhosis
Metastases >> Primary Primary > Metastases
80%-90% of HCC cases occur in cirrhotic livers
5. Epidemiology
Male-to-female ratio
5:1 in Asia
2:1 in the United States
Overall- 4:1
Increases with age.
53 years in Asia
67 years in the United States.
HCC incidence has tripled over last three decades
• Rising incidence of cirrhosis
• HCV (main reason)
• HBV
• Other (?NAFLD/insulin
resistance)
• Improved survival of patients
with cirrhosis
13. AASLD Practice Guidelines
(a) which patients are at high risk for the development of HCC &
should be offered surveillance
AASLD recommends surveillance using AFP + US every 6-12 months for at-risk patient groups:
Hepatitis B carriers
Asian males >40 years
Asian females >50 years
All cirrhotic hepatitis B carriers
Family history of HCC
Africans >20 years
Non-cirrhotic hepatitis B carriers with high HBV DNA levels or more severe current/past
levels of inflammatory activity
Cirrhosis due to hepatitis C, alcohol, or other causes
HCV: No screening before cirrhosis; and should screen once cirrhosis develops, but no specific
methods.
Rationale for 6-month screening/surveillance interval
Doubling time: median = 6 mo (range, 1-19 mo)
Growth from 1 to 3 cm: 4 mo for most aggressive, 18 mo for moderately
aggressive, 5 yr for indolent HCC
Median detectable subclinical period for HCC = 3.2 yr
15. Diagnosis
(b) What investigations are required to make a definite
diagnosis
I. AFP produced by 70%of HCC
a) > 400ng/ml
b) AFP over time
II. Imaging
a) Focal liver lesion cirrhotic patient highly likely to be HCC
b) Spiral CT of the liver
c) MRI with contrast enhancement
III. Biopsy is rarely required for diagnosis
a) Seeding in 1–3%.
b) Biopsy of potentially operable lesions should be avoided where
possible
17. Staging Systems for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Staging Systems for HCC
• Okuda Staging System
• Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP)
• American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC)/Union
Internacional Contra la Cancrum (UICC) Tumor Node Metastasis
(TNM)
• Japanese Staging System and Japan Integrated Staging score
(JIS)
• Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI)
• Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)
• Group d’Etude de Traitement du Carcinoma Hepatocellulaire
(GRETCH)
21. Surgery
Only proven potentially curative therapy
Hepatic resection or liver transplantation
Resection:
HCC and a non-cirrhotic liver (including fibrolamellar variant)
Highly selected patients with cirrhosis
Well preserved hepatic function (Child-Pugh A) who are unsuitable for liver transplantation
Carries a high risk of postoperative decompensation.
Recurrence rates of 50–60% after 5 years after resection are usual (intrahepatic)
Patients with single small HCC (≤5 cm) or up to three lesions ≤3 cm
Involvement of large vessels (portal vein, Inferior vena cava) doesn’t automatically mitigate
against a resection; especially in fibrolamellar histology
No RCTs comparing the outcome of resection and transplantation for HCC.
Perioperative mortality in experienced centres remains between 6% and 20% depending on
the extent of the resection and the severity of preoperative liver impairment.
The majority of early mortality is due to liver failure.
22. Liver Transplantation
The only treatment with a major chance of cure for HCC
Should be considered in any patient with cirrhosis
Patients with replicating HBV/ HCV-Worse outlook
Recurrence
previously not considered candidates for transplantation.
Effective antiviral therapy is now available and patients
with small HCC, should be assessed for transplantation
23. Liver Transplant for HCC in
cirrhosis
Milan Criteria (Stage I+II)
Single, not > 5cm Up to 3, none > 3cm
+
Absence of Macroscopic Vascular Invasion
Absence of Extrahepatic Spread
Mazzaferro V, et al. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:693-699.
27. Summary
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
HCC is one the most rapidly increasing cancers
Risk driven by cirrhosis
Viral load in HBV
Prevention is possible by vaccine
Treatment of underlying disease decreases risk
Treatment is mainly palliative
The 5-year survival is 8-12%
Less than 20% are candidates for surgery/transplant at
diagnosis
HCC is curable in some patients
Screening to detect early HCC is the main priority of
primary care physicians
Referral to a tertiary center indicated
Team approach is current standard to manage HCC