Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes a frequent clinical problem in the follow up of patients with liver cirrhosis. The clinical features and diagnoses and survival in a group of 140 cases of HCC are reviewed.
Methods: All the clinical histories of the patients diagnosed of HCC between 1987 and 1991 in the Unit of Hepatology of the General Hospital of the Vall d'Hebron were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical, analytical, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutive data were collected.
Results: One hundred forty patients (121 males and 19 females) were included. In 92% of the cases the HCC was established on liver cirrhosis in which alcohol was the most frequent etiologic factor. According to the Pugh-Child classification 31% of the patients were in group A, 32.5% in group B and 36.4% in group C. Clinically, diagnosis was carried out in the course of periodic out patient follow up in 21% of the cases. HBsAg was positive in 8.5% of the cases and anti HCV was 55% and in 78% by ELISA 1 and ELISA 2, respectively. Alphafetoprotein (AFP) was greater than 500 ng/dl in 37% of the cases. The treatment received was: surgical resection in 18 cases, liver transplantation in 3, intraarterial chemotherapy in 11 and intratumoral alcoholization in 8. Symptomatic treatment was administered in 71% of the cases. Global mean survival was 4.4 +/- 0.5 months. Mean survival was greater in patients with better liver function and smaller tumor size in the patients surgically treated and in those diagnosed in the periodic controls.
Conclusions: Hepatocellular cancer is normally established in patients with liver cirrhosis. The high prevalence of infection by the hepatitis C virus and the low prevalence by hepatitis B virus is of note. The patients with greater survival were those surgically treated and those diagnosed in periodic controls.