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Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Central

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    • Fast Facts

    Quick and informative HCC facts

    • Among liver cancer diagnoses worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type, comprising about 75% of all liver cancers.
    • HCC disproportionally impacts individuals whose livers have already been damaged by hepatitis B or C virus, or cirrhosis.
    • About 85% to 95% of HCC cases develop because of a patient’s cirrhotic liver.
    • Diabetes, hyperlipidemia and obesity can cause fatty liver disease, putting people with those comorbidities at a higher risk for HCC. However, some HCC cases can occur because of hepatic adenomas.
    • Patients who are at higher risk for developing HCC should be screened every 6 months using hepatic imaging.
    • Tumor size and location, liver function and overall health are major factors taken into consideration when developing treatment plans for patients with HCC. Early detection and diagnosis allow for treatment with “curative” techniques.
    • Treatment options for HCC include surgery, liver transplant, hot or cold ablation, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy.
    • In the United States, the incidence rate of HCC increased from 4.1 cases per 100,000 people in 1992 to 9.5 in 2015, but the overall incidence of cases decreased among younger and middle-aged adults.
    • Although patients with HCC may present as asymptomatic, HCC can exacerbate symptoms associated with cirrhosis, such as hepatic encephalopathy.
    • WHO has estimated that HCC is the third cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and HCC is number five on the list of most common cancers in the world.

    References

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    hepatocellular carcinoma
    liver cancer
    liver transplant
    hepatitis c virus
    cirrhosis
    nonalcoholic fatty liver disease