[Carcinoma hepatocellular. Description of verified clinical characteristics in a region of Southern Chile].
BACKGROUND
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent primary tumor of the liver. It is associated to chronic liver diseases and has a high prevalence in some regions of Africa and Asia.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, admitted to two hospitals of the IX region of southern Chile.


METHODS
Prospective study of 29 consecutive patients admitted to two hospitals in Temuco, Chile. Clinical features, laboratory values and viral markers were analyzed.


RESULTS
Eighteen patients were male and ages ranged from 29 to 75 years old. The most frequent presenting symptom was abdominal pain in 21 patients. Seven subjects had a history of alcoholism. Serum bilirubin values ranged from 0.1 to 15.8 mg/dl, alkaline phosphatases ranged from 171 to 3476 U/l, ASAT from 24 to 5400 U/l and alpha feto protein from 1.4 to 350 ng/ml. Two patients had a positive hepatitis B surface antigen and all had negative hepatitis C virus antibodies. Mean tumoral diameter was 9.6 cm and the most common presentation was nodular. Mean survival after the diagnosis was 6.3 months.


CONCLUSIONS
These patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have a low frequency of positive viral markers and tumors of large sizes on presentation.
Manterola
C
C
Servicio de Cirugía, Hospitales Regional de Temuco y Clínico de La Frontera, Chile. cmantero@ufro.cl
Muñoz
S
S
Araya
J C
JC
Calderón
C
C
Barroso
M S
MS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens