Premaletha Narayanan1, Asif Anchamparuthy Saifudhin Ashraf2, Anish Philip3
BACKGROUND
HCC is the fifth most common cancer in the world. Overall, it has a poor prognosis making it the second leading cancer in terms of cancer-related mortality. A comprehensive analysis of patients with this disease is not available in India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted to study the clinical features, biochemical and radiological features of patients presenting with HCC in the Department of Gastroenterology, Government Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala, during January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2016. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria’s, patients with HCC were included in the study.
RESULTS
84 patients were diagnosed to have HCC during the study period with male predominance. 51 males and 33 females. Mean age of presentation was 54.6 years. HCC developed in the background of cirrhosis in 97.7% cases. Most common presentation was decompensation of the underlying chronic liver disease. Alcohol was the leading aetiology. Multicentric nature was seen in 78.6% cases. AFP was elevated only in 28.5% cases. Portal vein thrombosis was present in 31.95% cases. 84.2% cases presented in advanced state according to BCLC classification.
CONCLUSION
Alcohol is the leading cause of cirrhotic patients who develop HCC followed by NAFLD. Most of the HCC patients presented with advanced diseases when curative therapeutic options are out. Study calls for creating public awareness about the causes of cirrhosis and its consequences. It also highlights the need for meticulous periodic USG screening in cirrhotics to detect early lesions.
