title: Hepatocellular carcinoma in the thalassaemia syndromes.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently complicates hepatic cirrhosis secondary to viral infection or iron overload. Therefore, patients affected by thalassaemia syndromes have a theoretically high risk of developing the tumour. We collected data on patients attending Italian centres for the treatment of thalassaemia. Twenty-two cases of HCC were identified; 15 were male. At diagnosis, the mean age was 45 +/- 11 years and the mean serum ferritin was 1764 +/- 1448 microg/l. Eighty-six percent had been infected by hepatitis C virus. Nineteen of 22 cases were diagnosed after 1993, suggesting that this problem is becoming more frequent with the aging population of thalassaemia patients.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale-Pediatria, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. c.borgna@unife.it
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borgna-Pignatti
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vergine
authors.forename: Turi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Maria Domenica
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cappellini
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cianciulli
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: Disma
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Renda
authors.forename: Maria Eliana
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mandas
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forni
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piga
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bisconte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000150:complications; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy