Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma in a Saudi tertiary care center: a 10-year retrospective study.

IF 2 Q4 ONCOLOGY

Hepatic Oncology Pub Date : 2026-12-01 Epub Date: 2026-09-17 DOI:10.1080/20450923.2026.2731863

Rana Bokhary

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the clinical and pathological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed at a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia over a 10-year period.

Materials and methods: This retrospective observational study included 44 patients diagnosed with HCC between January 2014 and December 2023. Demographic data, risk factors, tumor characteristics, and histopathological findings were extracted from medical records and pathology reports.

Results: The cohort showed a male predominance (77.3%), with a mean age of 65.8 years. Nearly half of patients (45.5%) had negative viral hepatitis tests. Vascular invasion and portal vein thrombosis occurred in 25.0% and 22.7%, respectively. The trabecular growth pattern predominated, and many patients presented with advanced disease features and substantial tumor burden.

Conclusion: HCC was frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, with a substantial proportion of viral-negative cases. These exploratory findings are consistent with an evolving epidemiologic profile of HCC in Saudi Arabia but do not establish a causal relationship between metabolic factors and HCC. Despite its retrospective single-center design and small sample size, this study provides contemporary real-world data and highlights the need for improved surveillance, earlier detection, and larger multicenter studies.

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沙特三级保健中心肝细胞癌的特点：一项10年回顾性研究。

目的：评估10年来在沙特阿拉伯三级医疗中心诊断的肝细胞癌（HCC）的临床和病理特征。材料和方法：本回顾性观察研究纳入了2014年1月至2023年12月诊断为HCC的44例患者。从医疗记录和病理报告中提取人口统计数据、危险因素、肿瘤特征和组织病理学结果。结果：男性居多（77.3%），平均年龄65.8岁。近一半的患者（45.5%）病毒性肝炎检测呈阴性。血管侵犯和门静脉血栓发生率分别为25.0%和22.7%。小梁生长模式占主导地位，许多患者表现为晚期疾病特征和沉重的肿瘤负担。结论：HCC常在晚期诊断，且病毒阴性病例占相当大比例。这些探索性发现与沙特阿拉伯HCC不断发展的流行病学特征相一致，但并未建立代谢因素与HCC之间的因果关系。尽管其回顾性单中心设计和小样本量，该研究提供了当代真实世界的数据，并强调了改进监测、早期检测和更大的多中心研究的必要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Hepatic Oncology ONCOLOGY-

CiteScore

0.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

13 weeks

期刊介绍： Primary liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world, and the third most common cause of death from malignant disease. Traditionally more common in developing countries, hepatocellular carcinoma is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Western world, primarily due to an increase in hepatitis C virus infection. Emerging risk factors, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity are also of concern for the future. In addition, metastatic tumors of the liver are more common than primary disease. Some studies report hepatic metastases in as many as 40 to 50% of adult patients with extrahepatic primary tumors. Hepatic Oncology publishes original research studies and reviews addressing preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to all types of cancer of the liver, in both the adult and pediatric populations. The journal also highlights significant advances in basic and translational research, and places them in context for future therapy. Hepatic Oncology provides a forum to report and debate all aspects of cancer of the liver and bile ducts. The journal publishes original research studies, full reviews and commentaries, with all articles subject to independent review by a minimum of three independent experts. Unsolicited article proposals are welcomed and authors are required to comply fully with the journal''s Disclosure & Conflict of Interest Policy as well as major publishing guidelines, including ICMJE and GPP3.