Investigation of Demographic, Clinical, Laboratory Characteristics and Treatments of Patients with Hepatocellular Cancer Diagnosed at Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine in the Last Decade and Comparison with the Literature

Abstract

Aim: Primary cancers of the liver are in the 3rd place in cancer-related deaths. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HSC) accounts for approximately 80% of primary hepatic malignancies. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification divides HCC into 5 stages and allocates treatments. The aim of this study is to examine the initial treatments of HCC patients in our center and compare them with the approaches in the guidelines. Methods: The data of patients diagnosed with HCC between 2006 and 2016 were recruited retrospectively. Age, gender, etiology, Child-Pugh score, BCLC stage, model for end-stage liver disease score, alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor characteristics, type of first treatment and survival time were evaluated. Results: There were 228 men and 33 women. The mean age was 61±10.5. Of the 130 patients 77 were found on BCLC stage C. The first treatment according to BCLC stage were sorafenib in 22, resection in 16, TACE in 15, Ytrium-90 in 14, systemic chemotherapy other than sorafenib in 14, transplantation in 11, palliative treatment in 8, and ablation in 4 patients. The median survival time was 11.9 (8.1-15.9) months. One-year survival was 32%, three-year survival was 19%, and five-year survival was 16%. Conclusion: The management of HCC patients was performed according to more than just BCLC guidelines in our center. The high number of patients who did not receive treatment may indicate that we need to show sufficient clinical attention to Stage D patients.