Hepatocellular carcinoma: is current therapy really altering outcome?

• Published in: Gut Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 459 - 462
• Main Author: Johnson, P J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology 01-10-2002; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; Copyright 2002 by Gut
• Subjects: AFP; Analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer patients; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - surgery; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - therapy; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Clinical trials; Complications and side effects; Diagnosis; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; HCC; Health aspects; hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatoma; Humans; Iodized Oil - therapeutic use; Leading; Liver cancer; Liver cirrhosis; liver disease; Liver diseases; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - surgery; Liver Neoplasms - therapy; Liver Transplantation - methods; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Medical examination; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medicine, Experimental; Mortality; Multivariate analysis; Postoperative period; Prognosis; Radiotherapy; randomised clinical trial; RCT; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; TOCE; transcatheter oily chemoembolisation; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; α fetoprotein; Human; Prognosis; Surgery; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Severity score; Malignant tumor; Decision criterion; Survival
• ISSN: 0017-5749; 1468-3288; 1458-3288
• DOI: 10.1136/gut.51.4.459

Progress in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been slow and has limited impact on outcome. Most patients with HCC have two diseases—chronic liver disease and HCC—and complex interactions between the two have major implications for diagnosis and prognosis as well as the management of HCC. The disease is most prevalent in those areas of the world where the infrastructure for clinical trials is least developed. Also, the aetiology of the disease varies around the world and it is still not known whether HCCs of different aetiologies have different prognoses. Current treatment is making an impact on the management of HCC but further progress awaits not only the development of more effective treatments but also the development of adequate methodologies to assess the impact of these treatments.