title: Prognosis of a large cohort of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a single European centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Only a few follow up data are available for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Europe and the USA. Therefore, we analysed all HCC patients admitted to our hospital between 1988 and 1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  We documented aetiology, stage (HCC: Okuda and UICC classifications, liver cirrhosis: Child-Pugh score), and diagnostic and therapeutic measures of 281 consecutive HCC patients. Survival time was calculated as a function of staging and therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cirrhosis was diagnosed in all patients. Seventy-two patients underwent liver resection, 28 liver transplantation, 31 transarterial chemoembolization and 14 percutaneous ethanol injection. One hundred and thirty-six patients received no treatment. The Okuda and the Child-Pugh classification predicted a significant decrease of median survival time, whereas the UICC classification was less powerful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCC occurred only in patients with liver cirrhosis. Survival time correlated with therapy (or no therapy) and with the Child-Pugh Score. In European patients the Okuda classification is superior to the UICC classification and should be compared to novel classification systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine I, Department of Surgery, Institute for Medical Statistics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany. christoph.herold@med1.imed.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herold
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reck
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fischler
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radespiel-Troeger
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ganslmayer
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hohenberger
authors.forename: Eckhart G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schuppan
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate