Zusammenfassung
HINTERGRUND: Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Unterschiede in der klinischen Erstpräsentation von Patienten mit hepatozellulären Karzinom (HCC) vor und nach der Veröffentlichung der europäischen (EASL) Empfehlungen zu HCC-Vorsorge und Behandlung zu untersuchen. METHODEN: Zwischen 1991 und 2009 wurde an unserer Abteilung bei 907 Patienten ein HCC neu diagnostiziert, wovon 850 in diese Studie aufgenommen wurden. Daten zur Demographie, Leberfunktion und Tumorstadium wurden retrospektiv erhoben. Die Publikation der EASL Empfehlungen im Oktober 2001 diente als Stichtag um klinische Charakteristika und Gesamtüberleben davor (Zeitraum 1) und danach (Zeitraum 2) zu vergleichen. RESULTATE: Im zweiten Untersuchungszeitraum waren Patienten übergewichtiger (BMI: 26,1 vs. 27,5, p = 0,003) litten häufiger an Diabetes (25,4 vs. 37,3 %, p = 0,001) und an einer nicht-alkoholische Fettleberhepatitis (NASH) (0,7 vs. 5,1 %, p < 0,001). Die alkoholische Lebererkrankung löste die Virushepatitis als häufigste Ätiologie ab, jedoch nicht in der wachsenden Gruppe der Patienten mit Migrationshintergrund, bei denen die virale Hepatitis (76,3 %) die Hauptätiologie blieb. Keine Veränderung konnte hinsichtlich der Leberfunktion und Tumorstadien zum Zeitpunkt der Erstdiagnose beobachtet werden. Bei den meisten Patienten wurden überwiegend fortgeschrittene nicht kurativ behandelbare HCCs festgestellt. Allerdings war das mediane Gesamtüberleben aller HCC Patienten in Periode 2 signifikant besser (7 vs. 14 Monate, p < 0,001), was für eine Verbesserung palliativer Therapien spricht. KONKLUSION: Patienten mit HCC werden trotz klarer, seit 9 Jahren bestehender europäischer Screening Empfehlungen überwiegend in nicht kurativ behandelbaren Tumorstadien diagnostiziert. Die Forderung nach einem offiziellen österreichischen HCC-Screeningprogramm für Patienten mit Leberzirrhose scheint gerechtfertigt.
Summary
BACKGROUND: We investigated the differences in clinical presentation of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at the time of diagnosis, before and after the publication of the European Association for the study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines of HCC management and screening. METHODS: Between 1991 and 2009, 907 patients were diagnosed with HCC at our department of which 850 were included in this study. Data regarding demography, liver function and tumor stage at the time of diagnosis were retrospectively collected. Differences in clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) were compared before (period 1) and after (period 2) the publication of the EASL guidelines in 2001. RESULTS: In period 2, patients were more likely to be overweight (BMI: 26.1 vs. 27.5, p = 0.003), suffered more often from diabetes (25.4 vs. 37.3%, p = 0.001) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (0.7 vs. 5.1%, p < 0.001). Alcoholic liver disease replaced viral hepatitis as the main etiology but not in the increasing number of patients with migration background where viral hepatitis (76.3%) remained the predominant etiology. No change in liver function and tumor stages at the time of HCC diagnosis was observed. Most patients presented with advanced incurable HCC. However, the median OS of all HCC patients increased in period 2 (7 vs. 14 months, p < 0.001) suggesting improvements of palliative therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HCC are still predominantly diagnosed at incurable tumor stages, despite explicit European screening guidelines existing since 9 years. The implementation of a HCC surveillance program for cirrhotic patients in Austria seems to be warranted.
References
Parkin DM, Bray F, Ferlay J, Pisani P. Estimating the world cancer burden: Globocan 2000. Int J Cancer 2001;94:153–6
Bosch FX, Ribes J, Diaz M, Cleries R. Primary liver cancer: worldwide incidence and trends. Gastroenterology 2004;127:5–16
Sherman M. Hepatocellular carcinoma: epidemiology, surveillance, and diagnosis. Semin Liver Dis 2010;30:3–16
Llovet JM, Burroughs A, Bruix J. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Lancet 2003;362:1907–17
Schoniger-Hekele M, Muller C, Kutilek M, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma in Austria: aetiological and clinical characteristics at presentation. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2000;12:941–8
Starley BQ, Calcagno CJ, Harrison SA. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma: a weighty connection. Hepatology 2010;51:1820–32
Llovet JM, Bru C, Bruix J. Prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: the BCLC staging classification. Semin Liver Dis 1999;19:329–38
Bruix J, Sherman M, Llovet JM, et al. Clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions of the Barcelona-2000 EASL conference. European Association for the Study of the Liver. J Hepatol 2001;35:421–30
Bruix J, Sherman M. Management of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2005;42:1208–36
Santi V, Trevisani F, Gramenzi A, et al. Semiannual surveillance is superior to annual surveillance for the detection of early hepatocellular carcinoma and patient survival. J Hepatol 2010;53:291–7
Kuo YH, Lu SN, Chen CL, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance and appropriate treatment options improve survival for patients with liver cirrhosis. Eur J Cancer 2010;46:744–51
Zhang BH, Yang BH, Tang ZY. Randomized controlled trial of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2004;130:417–22
Davila JA, Morgan RO, Richardson PA, et al. Use of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with cirrhosis in the United States. Hepatology 2010;52:132–41
Qian MY, Yuwei JR, Angus P, et al. Efficacy and cost of a hepatocellular carcinoma screening program at an Australian teaching hospital. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2010;25:951–6
Sobin L, Wittekind C, eds. UICC. TNM classification of malignant tumours. 6th ed. New York: Wiley-Liss, 2002
Edmondson HA, Steiner PE. Primary carcinoma of the liver: a study of 100 cases among 48,900 necropsies. Cancer 1954;7:462–503
Lencioni R, Llovet JM. Modified RECIST (mRECIST) assessment for hepatocellular carcinoma. Semin Liver Dis 2010;30:52–60
Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, et al. Cancer statistics, 2009. CA Cancer J Clin 2009;59:225–49
Hackl M. Krebsinzidenz und Krebsmortalität in Österreich. Vienna: Statistik Austria, 2004
Rosa I, Denis J, Lesgourgues B, et al. A French Multicentric Longitudinal Descriptive Study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Management, The CHANGH Cohort: Preliminary Results. Hepatology 2010;52:285 (abstr 1729)
Siegel AB, Zhu AX. Metabolic syndrome and hepatocellular carcinoma: two growing epidemics with a potential link. Cancer 2009;115:5651–61
Yang J, Kim B, Sanderson SO, et al. Incidence and Etiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Olmsted County, MN, 1976–2008. Hepatology 2010;52:286 (abstr 1738)
Nordenstedt H, White DL, El-Serag HB. The changing pattern of epidemiology in hepatocellular carcinoma. Dig Liver Dis 2010;42:206–14
Haslam D, Rigby N. A long look at obesity. Lancet 2010;376:85–6
Haslam DW, James WP. Obesity. Lancet 2005;366:1197–209
Alba LM, Lindor K. Review article: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2003;17:977–86
Wild S, Roglic G, Green A, Sicree R, King H. Global prevalence of diabetes: estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care 2004;27:1047–53
Dorner T, Rathmanner T, Lechleitner M, et al. Public health aspects of diabetes mellitus-epidemiology, prevention strategies, policy implications: the first Austrian diabetes report. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2006;118:513–9
Resl M, Clodi M. Diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Wien Med Wochenschr 2010;160:3–7
Rathmanner Tea. Erster Österreichischer Adipositasbericht. [Internet] 2006 [cited 2011 March 4]. Available from: http://www.adipositas-austria.org/pdf/3031_AMZ_Adipositas_3108_final.pdf
Kirchner G, Kirovski G, Hebestreit A, et al. Epidemiology and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Southern Germany. Int J Clin Exp Med 2010;3:169–79
Martins A, Cortez-Pinto H, Marques-Vidal P, et al. Treatment and prognostic factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver Int 2006;26:680–7
Soresi M, La Spada E, Giannitrapani L, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of two different periods at the same center. Eur J Intern Med 2010;21:127–30
Yang J, Harmsen S, Therneau T, Melilli L, Roberts LR. Recent Trends in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): A referal Center in US between 2007–2009. Hepatology 2010;52:292 (abstr 1798)
El-Serag HB, Mason AC. Rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States. N Engl J Med 1999;340:745–50
Shariff MI, Cox IJ, Gomaa AI, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma: current trends in worldwide epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and therapeutics. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009;3:353–67
de Franchis R. Updating consensus in portal hypertension: report of the Baveno III Consensus Workshop on definitions, methodology and therapeutic strategies in portal hypertension. J Hepatol 2000;33:846–52
Danta M, Barnes E, Dusheiko G. The surveillance and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2005;17:491–6
Goh B, Chang J, Ong W, Tan C. Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic liver disease is associated with increased diagnosis of early HCC and a genuine improvement in survival, a study of 1,113 cases. Hepatology 2010;52:283 (abstr 1713)
Chan AC, Poon RT, Ng KK, et al. Changing paradigm in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma improves the survival benefit of early detection by screening. Ann Surg 2008;247:666–73
Toyoda H, Kumada T, Kiriyama S, et al. Impact of surveillance on survival of patients with initial hepatocellular carcinoma: a study from Japan. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2006;4:1170–6
Yuen MF, Cheng CC, Lauder IJ, et al. Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma increases the chance of treatment: Hong Kong experience. Hepatology 2000;31:330–5
Sangiovanni A, Del Ninno E, Fasani P, et al. Increased survival of cirrhotic patients with a hepatocellular carcinoma detected during surveillance. Gastroenterology 2004;126:1005–14
Llovet JM, Bruix J. Systematic review of randomized trials for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Chemoembolization improves survival. Hepatology 2003;37:429–42
Mazzaferro V, Regalia E, Doci R, et al. Liver transplantation for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinomas in patients with cirrhosis. N Engl J Med 1996;334:693–9
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hucke, F., Sieghart, W., Schöniger-Hekele, M. et al. Clinical characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Austria – is there a need for a structured screening program?. Wien Klin Wochenschr 123, 542–551 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-011-0033-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-011-0033-9