Burden of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Pattern of Hepatitis B and C Presentation among HCC Patients: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most commonly occurring cancer of the liver. HCC ranks fifth from the top among the most prevailing cancers in men globally. It stands second among the major causes of mortality associated with cancer in the world. The majority of the cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are due to cirrhosis developed after infection with the chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Objective: To assess the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma and to study the pattern of hepatitis B and C in HCC patients who visited oncology outpatient department (opd) services in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study. The total number of patients visiting the Oncology OutPatient Department from July 2019 to June 2021 was recorded. Patients who had HCC of these were included in the study. The age, viral markers, and TNM staging of the patients were recorded. Both male and female patients belonging to any age group were included in the study. Results: During two years, a total of 2,102 patients visited oncology outpatient services for different cancers. Out of these, 50 patients had a diagnosis of HCC and were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 59.76±10.16 years. 70% of the patients were male and 30% were female. 60% of the patients were positive for Hepatitis C, while 36% of the patients had all viral markers negative. Conclusion HCC is a fairly common malignancy but screening programs across the world are hampered by low rates of utilization. Infection with hepatitis B and C is frequently associated with the development of HCC. If proper and adequate screening measurements are taken in time for patients who are at greater risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, better survival rates could be seen in Pakistan.