title: Prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C patients in Mid Delta, Egypt: A single center study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an increasing incidence worldwide. In this study we aimed to assess the prevalence of HCC among HCV patients in our center in Mid Delta, Egypt.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the period between April 2013 and January 2015, we screened sequentially chronic HCV patients attending inpatient wards or outpatient Clinic of Tropical Medicine Department in Tanta University Hospital for HCC. Individuals with focal lesion in Ultrasound (US) and/or serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level >200ng/ml were examined by triphasic computed tomography scanning (CT), and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 514 HCV patients interviewed and accepted sharing in this study, 90 (17.5%), 144 (28%), and 280 (54.5%) were Child A, B, and C, respectively. We found that 108/514 patients (21%) had focal lesion detected by US. Also, 89/514 (17.3%) had elevated AFP >200, 13 of them (14.6%) had no focal lesion on US, but further work up showed HCC in 2 of them. Overall HCC diagnosis was confirmed in 103 cases, 94 of them (91.3%) were Child B or C. Occurrence of HCC was significantly higher in smokers, diabetics, patients with decompensated liver and those with positive family history of HCC. Only 20/103 (19.4%) were candidates to curative treatments, 8 of them were Child A asymptomatic and discovered accidentally during screening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high prevalence of HCC in our HCV patients (22%) was mainly associated with decompensated cirrhosis. A national surveillance program for the detection of HCC in cirrhotic HCV Egyptian patients by combining ultrasound examination and AFP is highly recommended.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Dina H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Ziada
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt; Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University KSA, Egypt.
authors.forename: Sherif
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: El Sadany
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt. Electronic address: Sherif_tropical@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sherief
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abd-Elsalam
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Marwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salama
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nehad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hawash
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selim
authors.affiliation: Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Manal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamisa
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Community Medicine Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hala M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Elsabagh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Chronic hepatitis C; Egypt; Epidemiology; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Prevalence; Screening