title: Subclinical hepatocellular carcinoma in Hong Kong Chinese.
abstract: Of the 208 Chinese patients with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seen during a 5-year period, 191 patients presented with symptomatic HCC and 17 patients with asymptomatic HCC (subclinical HCC, SCHCC) being picked up by alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) screening. Compared with the patients with symptomatic HCC, patients with SCHCC had a better performance status (p less than 0.01), higher serum albumin levels (p less than 0.05) and lower alkaline phosphatase levels (p less than 0.01). In those patients with symptomatic HCC, 4.7% were operable and only 2 patients had a tumour diameter of less than 5 cm. In contrast, patients with SCHCC had a higher operability rate (76.5%, p less than 0.0001) and all had a tumour of less than 5 cm in diameter (p less than 0.0001). Patients with SCHCC, most of whom had their tumour resected, had a better long-term survival (p less than 0.0001). We conclude that patients with SCHCC picked up by AFP serosurveillance have a better performance status, higher operability and better prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ngan
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins