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Review
. 2017 Jul-Sep;24(3):1073274817729245.
doi: 10.1177/1073274817729245.

Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Nader N Massarweh  1   2 , Hashem B El-Serag  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Nader N Massarweh et al. Cancer Control. 2017 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are the most frequently occurring types of primary liver cancer and together are among the most common incident cancers worldwide. There are a number of modifiable and nonmodifiable HCC and ICC risk factors that have been reported. A review of the existing literature the epidemiology and risk factors for HCC and ICC was performed. There are a number of major infectious, lifestyle, metabolic, and heritable risk factors for both HCC and ICC. Some of these risk factors are either potentially preventable (eg, alcohol and tobacco use) or are currently treatable (eg hepatitis infection). In most cases, the molecular pathway or mechanism by which these etiologic factors cause primary liver cancer has not been well delineated. However, in nearly all cases, it is believed that a given risk factor causes liver injury and inflammation which results in chronic liver disease. Given the rising prevalence of several common HCC and ICC risk factors in the western world, the best opportunities for improving the care of these patients are either through the prevention of modifiable risk factors that are associated with the development of chronic liver disease or the identification of at risk patients, ensuring they are appropriately screened for the development of primary liver cancer, and initiating treatment early.

Keywords: cirrhosis; epidemiology; hepatitis; hepatocellular carcinoma; intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
HCC prevalence by specific risk factor. HBV indicates hepatitis B; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HCV, hepatitis C; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Reprinted from Mittal S, Sada YH, El-Serag HB, et al. Temporal trends of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma in the veterans affairs population. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015;13(3):594-601, with permission from Elsevier.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Anatomic cholangiocarcinoma classification. dCCA indicates distal cholangiocarcinoma; iCCA, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; pCCA, perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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