title: Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma: compliance and results according to the aetiology of cirrhosis in a cohort of 141 patients.
abstract: Surveillance for early detection of hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis is widely accepted. In a cohort of 141 patients with cirrhosis collected during the year 1995, we conducted a surveillance program by performing liver ultrasonography and blood alpha-foetoprotein measurement every 6 months. The median follow-up was 34 months. This study addressed to two questions: the compliance to the surveillance schedule according to the aetiology of cirrhosis and the results in terms of emergence of HCC and outcome. Aetiology of cirrhosis was alcohol-induced in 86 (61%), HCV-related in 30 (21%) and from other origins in 25 (18%). Compliance to the program schedule was good in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis (29/30--97%) and patients with cirrhosis of "other origins" (20/25--80%) but was poor in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (45/86--52%). The lack of compliance was significantly linked to the failure to achieve alcohol abstinence. During follow-up, 6 HCC lesions were observed in 6 male patients with median age of 68 years. All 6 HCC were single nodule, less than 4 cm and accessible to percutaneous acetic acid injection. Nevertheless, the outcome was disappointing, four patients dying 3-15 months later (median: 8 months), two of them with extensive HCC. One of the two patients still alive developed extensive HCC, 36 months after percutaneous acetic acid injection.
authors.affiliation: Département de Médecine Interne, Hôpital de Jolimont, Haine-Saint-Paul, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henrion
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Libon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Maeght
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schapira
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ghilain
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Maisin
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate; D014463:Ultrasonography