A profile of primary hepatocellular carcinoma patients in the Gizan Area of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic features of 75 patients of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) living in the Gizan Area of Saudi Arabia and their follow-up, during a 2-year period, were characterized. Eighty-nine percent of the cases were defined histologically, whereas in the rest, ultrasonographic (US) evidence along with an alphafetoprotein (AFP) level exceeding 480 ng/ml were taken as the positive evidence for PHC. Eighty percent of the cases were male patients, with the peak incidence during the seventh decade. The most common clinical presentations were hepatic enlargement (91%), abdominal pain (76%), splenic enlargement (33%), and acites (33%), followed by bruit, fever, metastases, and varices. Alteration in a liver function test was manifest in 97% of the cases, AFP values > 480 ng/ml in 57%, and a hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity in 65% of the cases. There was no intersex variation in positivity for HBsAg, antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs), antibody to hepatitis B virus core antigen (anti-HBc) among the 30 PHC cases studied. Positivity for HBsAg or the overall hepatitis B virus exposure in PHC cases was higher than the normal controls (P < 0.001). In addition to histologic confirmation of PHC in 67 cases, there was histologic evidence of cirrhosis in 25%, or chronic active hepatitis in 19% of the cases. At the time of diagnosis, the average duration of the presenting illness was less than 2 months, while the mortality in the ensuing 2-month period was 73%. The average span of total illness in the vast majority of cases was 4 to 6 months. Two female patients (one with fibrolamellar carcinoma) however, survived for 2 years. Immunization against hepatitis B virus should be considered for all newborns in such hyperendemic communities. A continuous program should be started in such communities to screen and immunize all those yet unexposed to hepatitis B virus. The established HBsAg carriers should be periodically examined ultrasonographically along with an AFP estimation for initiating the chemotherapeutic and other measures against PHC in fairly early stages of malignancy.