Abstract
Background
Comprehensive and contemporary data pertaining large populations of patients with
Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are missing.
Aim
To describe main characteristics and outcome of PBC patients with HCC diagnosed in
the new millennium.
Methods
Analysing the Italian Liver Cancer registry we identified 80 PBC patients with HCC
diagnosed after the year 2000, and described their clinical characteristics, access
to treatment and survival.
Results
Median age of patients was 71 years and 50.0% were males. Cirrhosis was present in
86.3% of patients, being well-compensated in 58.0%. Median HCC diameter was smaller
in patients under surveillance (2.6 vs 4.0 cm, P = 0.007). Curative treatment, feasible in 50.0% of patients, was associated with
improved survival compared to palliative and supportive care (42 vs 33 vs 6 months, P<0.0001). Surveillance was associated with a non-significant improved survival (36 vs 23 months), likely due to similar rate of curative treatment in patients under (51.4%)
and outside surveillance (42.6%).
Conclusions
PBC patients with HCC are often elderly males with well-preserved liver function.
Feasibility of curative treatment is high and associated with improved prognosis.
Description of these patients may help focus surveillance to identify earlier tumours,
increase their curability, and improve prognosis.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 27, 2022
Accepted:
March 7,
2022
Received:
January 23,
2022
Footnotes
Preliminary results of this study have been submitted in abstract form to the 28th Congresso Nazionale Malattie Digestive (11 – 14 May 2022, Rome, Italy).
Grants and supports: None.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
