Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma in lower Egypt, Mansoura Gastroenterology Center.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is now regarded as one of the major malignant diseases worldwide, with significant variations in its epidemiology.


OBJECTIVE
study of the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and its relation to age, sex, residence, and viral hepatitis in Egypt.


METHODS
From January 1992 to May 2005, 1012 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma were diagnosed in the Gastroenterology Center, Mansoura University, Egypt. All patients were evaluated for age, sex, residence, occupation, history of other medical disease, anti-bilharzial treatment, blood transfusion, viral markers, and liver functions.


RESULTS
The mean age was 54.26 +/- 9.2, with high prevalence between 51 and 60 years. Male to female ratio was 5:1, farmers constituted 37.6%, workers 22.9% and housewives 12.8% of the patients. The number of HCC patients increases yearly from only 9 patients evaluated at 1992 to 80 patients in the first 5 months of the year 2005. The mean age increased from 45 years at 1992 up to 58 years at year 1996. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were resident in rural areas versus 23% in urban areas. Seventy-eight percent of patients presented with abdominal pain, 7.1% with abdominal swelling, 4.3% with jaundice, 2.4% with other symptoms and 8.8% of the HCCs were discovered accidentally. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus among HCC patients was 13.6%, history of anti-bilharzial treatment was positive in 37.6%. Hepatitis C, B and mixed B&C was 76.6%, 3.3%, 3.6% respectively. History of blood transfusion was encountered in only 10.6%. Twenty-seven percent of HCC patients had previous history of surgery. Clinical and laboratory studies revealed that, 52.1% of patients were Child's A, 37.3% B and 10.7% C. Tumor size >5 cm in 65.5%, the right lobe was the site in 63.9%, left lobe in 25.8% and both lobes in 10.3% of the patients. Lesions were single in 71.1%, multiple in 24.9% and diffuse in 4% of cases. Portal vein thrombosis was detected in 15.9%. Hepatic resection was done in 25.8%, chemoembolizations in 17.2%, radiofrequency in 13.1%, alcohol injection in 0.9%, mixed treatment in 3.5% of patients while 38.7% were managed by conservative treatment due to no available safe treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of newly diagnosed patients with HCC increases annually. The prevalence of HCC is high in Nile Delta area, and is more common in males, rural residents and farmers especially in HCV patients. In rural areas there are other risk factors that may be responsible for this high incidence, such as pollution, aflatoxins and use of insecticides, which need more study.
Abdel-Wahab
Mohamed
M
Gastroenterology Center Mansoura University, Egypt. Wahab_M_eg@yahoo.com
El-Ghawalby
N
N
Mostafa
M
M
Sultan
A
A
El-Sadany
M
M
Fathy
O
O
Salah
T
T
Ezzat
F
F
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged