Characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study

Fatih Guzelbulut¹, Umit Karaogullarindan², Hikmet Akkiz², Engin Altintas³, Coskun Ozer Demirtas⁴, Ozgur Bahadir¹, Caglayan Keklikkiran⁴, Abdullah Emre Yildirim⁵, Mesut Gumussoy⁶, Hatice Rizaoglu Balci³, Pinar Gokcen⁷, Dilara Turan Gokce⁸, Cem Simsek⁹, Ilker Turan¹⁰, Guray Can¹¹, Volkan Gokbulut⁸, Serkan Yaras³, Gupse Adali⁷, Remzi Adnan Akdogan¹², Ufuk Avcioglu¹³, Mehmet Demir¹⁴, Hamdi Levent Doganay⁷, Sezgin Vatansever¹⁵, Hale Sumer⁶, Feyza Dilber⁴, Meral Akdogan Kayhan⁸, Hatice Yasemin Balaban⁹, Halis Simsek⁹, Osman Cavit Ozdogan⁴, Ulus Salih Akarca¹⁰, Zeki Karasu¹⁰, Fulya Gunsar¹⁰, Ramazan Idilman⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye.
² Department of Gastroenterology, Çukurova University, Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkiye.
³ Department of Gastroenterology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Turkiye.
⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Marmara University, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye.
⁵ Department of Gastroenterology, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkiye.
⁶ Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye.
⁷ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye.
⁸ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye.
⁹ Department of Gastroenterology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye.
¹⁰ Department of Gastroenterology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkiye.
¹¹ Department of Gastroenterology, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Medicine, Bolu, Turkiye.
¹² Department of Gastroenterology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkiye.
¹³ Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkiye.
¹⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Hatay, Turkiye.
¹⁵ Department of Gastroenterology, Katip Celebi University, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkiye.

PMID: 36177097
PMCID: PMC9510736
DOI: 10.14744/hf.2022.2022.0028

Characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study

Fatih Guzelbulut et al. Hepatol Forum. 2022.

. 2022 Sep 23;3(3):71-76.

doi: 10.14744/hf.2022.2022.0028. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye.
² Department of Gastroenterology, Çukurova University, Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkiye.
³ Department of Gastroenterology, Mersin University, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Turkiye.
⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Marmara University, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkiye.
⁵ Department of Gastroenterology, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkiye.
⁶ Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye.
⁷ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye.
⁸ Department of Gastroenterology, University of Health Sciences Turkey, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye.
⁹ Department of Gastroenterology, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye.
¹⁰ Department of Gastroenterology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkiye.
¹¹ Department of Gastroenterology, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Medicine, Bolu, Turkiye.
¹² Department of Gastroenterology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Faculty of Medicine, Rize, Turkiye.
¹³ Department of Gastroenterology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkiye.
¹⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Hatay, Turkiye.
¹⁵ Department of Gastroenterology, Katip Celebi University, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkiye.

PMID: 36177097
PMCID: PMC9510736
DOI: 10.14744/hf.2022.2022.0028

Abstract

Background and aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by underlying cause and determine the characteristics and clinical features of patients with HCC.

Materials and methods: The study comprised 1802 HCC patients diagnosed and followed up by Liver Diseases Outpatient Clinics in 14 tertiary centers in Turkey between 2001 and 2020.

Results: The mean age was 62.3±10.7 years, and 78% of them were males. Of the patients, 82% had cirrhosis. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was the most common etiology (54%), followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (19%) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (10%). Of the patients, 56% had a single lesion. Macrovascular invasion and extrahepatic spread were present in 15% and 12% of the patients, respectively. The median serum alpha-fetoprotein level was 25.4 ng/mL. In total, 39% of the patients fulfilled the Milan Criteria. When we compared the characteristics of patients diagnosed before and after January 2016, the proportion of NAFLD-related HCC cases increased after 2016, from 6.6% to 13.4%.

Conclusion: Chronic HBV and HCV infections remain the main causes of HCC in Turkey. The importance of NAFLD as a cause of HCC is increasing.

Keywords: Clinical characteristics; etiology; hepatocellular carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

**Figure 1**
HCC etiologies over the years. CC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus; NAFLD: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; ALD: Alcoholic liver disease.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study

Affiliations

Characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources