Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018;8(6):85660.
doi: 10.4236/ojgas.2018.86025. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in Micronesians, a growing Pacific Islander population in the U.S

Eric M Wu  1 , Brenda Y Hernandez  2 , Linda L Wong  1
Affiliations

Hepatocellular carcinoma in Micronesians, a growing Pacific Islander population in the U.S

Eric M Wu et al. Open J Gastroenterol. 2018.

Abstract

Aim: Micronesians are a rapidly growing population in Hawaii and the continental U.S. Hepatitis B is prevalent in Micronesia, but the consequences in those migrating to the U.S. are unclear. This study characterizes hepatocellular carcinoma in Micronesians with comparisons to other Pacific Islanders.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation was undertaken of 40 Micronesian and 142 Non-Micronesian Pacific hepatocellular carcinoma patients diagnosed in a large clinical practice in Hawaii from 1993-2017.

Results: All Micronesians were born outside of the U.S. Micronesians were younger at diagnosis (52.0 vs 60.2 years, had higher rates of hepatitis B (80% vs 31.2%), a family history of hepatocellular carcinoma (17.5% vs 4.4%) and more tumors <5 cm (64.1% vs 45.2%). Non Micronesian Pacific Islanders had higher rates of Hepatitis C (48.6% vs 22.5%) and hypertension (61.7% vs 32.4%). There was no difference in the proportions of screen-detected tumors, those meeting Milan criteria, tumor stage, or liver function. Micronesians had better 5-year survival rates (48% vs 16.7%).

Conclusion: Hepatocellular carcinoma in Micronesians is primarily Hepatitis B-related. Micronesians were equally likely to have hepatocellular carcinoma found with screening, undergo transplant and had better survival. Our study emphasizes the need for hepatitis B screening and hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in Micronesians.

Keywords: Hepatitis B; Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Micronesians; Screening.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

References

    1. Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M et al. (2017) SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2014, National Cancer Institute Bethesda, MD, based on November 2016 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2014/,
    1. Davila JA, Morgan RO, Shaib Y, McGlynn KA, El-Serag HB (2004) Hepatitis C infection and the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma: a population-based study Gastroenterology, 127(5), 1372. - PubMed
    1. United States Government Accountability Office(2011) Report to Congressional Requesters: Compacts of Free Association: Improvements Needed to Assess and Address Growing Migration GAO-12–64.
    1. U.SCensus Bureau. (2012) 2010 Census Summary File 2, compilation and calculations by the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism: Selected Micronesian Race Alone Group Profiles http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/census/Census_2010/SF2/Selected_Micronesia....
    1. State of Hawaii Department of the Attorney General(2009) Final Report of the Compacts of Free Association Task ForceS.RNo142, S.D1.

LinkOut - more resources