title: Clinicopathological features, background liver disease, and survival analysis of HCV-positive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: differences between young and elderly patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence and characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody-positive elderly patients with chronic hepatitis without cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 65 patients who developed HCC at >or=75 years of age and who received their first HCC therapy at Toranomon Hospital between 1985 and 2005. Their clinicopathological and laboratory data were analyzed and compared with those of 33 patients who developed HCC at <or=50 years of age during the same period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ratio of women patients in the elderly group (M: F = 1.1: 1) was higher than in the younger group (M: F = 5.6: 1). Also, patients in the elderly group had better liver function and prothrombin activity (P = 0.001), and lower total bilirubin (P = 0.002) than the young group. Only 11 of 65 elderly patients were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis by biopsy or peritoneoscopy before or at the time of development of HCC. Based on a discriminate score using gamma-globulin, hyaluronate level, platelet count, and sex, 27 (41.5%) elderly patients were considered to have chronic hepatitis, compared with six of 33 (18.1%) patients in the young group (P = 0.025). There were no differences in tumor number or size or tumor markers between the two groups. Survival rate was higher in the younger patients (P = 0.002), who were more likely to receive radical treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed distinct differences in HCV-related HCC between elderly and young patients and suggested that elderly patients (especially women) could develop HCC even when liver histology shows chronic hepatitis and lack of cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saneto
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuji
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sezaki
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akuta
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yasuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arase
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumada
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011516:Prothrombin; D001663:Bilirubin