Trends in hepatocellular carcinoma incident cases in Japan between 1996 and 2019

We examined the epidemiological trends, including the distribution of sex, age, and disease etiology, in HCC incident cases, over 24 years. Data of 20,547 HCC patients (1996–2019) were analyzed in this prospective study. We divided the study period into four 6-yearly quarters. HCC etiology was categorized as hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV + hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HCV infection, and both negative (non-BC). The incident cases of HCC per quarter of the study period were 4311 (21.0%), 5505 (26.8%), 5776 (28.1%), and 4955 (24.1%), sequentially. Overall, 14,020 (68.2%) patients were male. The number of HCC cases in patients < 60 years, 60–69 years, 70–79 years, and ≥ 80 years were 3711 (18.1%), 6652 (32.4%), 7448 (36.2%), and 2736 (13.3%), respectively. The average age of newly-diagnosed patients increased in each quarter. HCC was associated with HBV, HBV + HCV, and HCV infections and non-BC in 2997 (14.6%), 187 (0.9%), and 12,019 (58.5%), and 5344 (26.0%) cases, respectively. The number of HCV-associated cases decreased in each quarter, while that of non-BC-associated cases increased. HCC incident cases tend to increase in the elderly and in non-BC patients; in contrast, HCC incident cases due to HCV tend to decrease

Predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence associated with the use of direct‐acting antiviral agent therapy for hepatitis C virus after curative treatment: A prospective multicenter cohort study

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested an association between the use of direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the resulting decrease in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, it is unclear whether DAAs prevent the recurrence of HCC after curative treatment for HCC. This study aimed to prospectively investigate HCC recurrence and its predictors after curative treatment for HCC. Methods A total of 3012 patients with chronic HCV infection, with or without cirrhosis, who were treated with DAAs were enrolled between January 1, 2015 and January 31, 2017 as per the institutional review board approved study protocol at 15 institutions, including 10 university hospitals and five high‐volume centers in the Kyusyu area of Japan. Of the 3012 patients, 459 patients who had HCC but were cured with surgery or ablation therapy (curative treatment) before the use of DAAs were included in the analysis. Results During a mean follow‐up period of 29.4 months, 217 (47.2%) patients developed HCC recurrence. The median time to recurrence was 34.0 months, and the 1‐, 2‐, and 3‐year cumulative HCC recurrence rates were 27.1%, 43.4%, and 50.8%, respectively. The risk factors for HCC recurrence were the α‐fetoprotein (AFP) level before DAA therapy (P = 0.0047) and the number of curative treatments for HCC before DAA therapy (P < 0.0001). Conclusions A high AFP level and multiple occurrences of HCC before DAA therapy are associated with a high risk for HCC recurrence after curative treatment. Follow‐up after DAA therapy should include special attention to the abovementioned risk factors

Trends in hepatocellular carcinoma incident cases in Japan between 1996 and 2019

We examined the epidemiological trends, including the distribution of sex, age, and disease etiology, in HCC incident cases, over 24 years. Data of 20,547 HCC patients (1996–2019) were analyzed in this prospective study. We divided the study period into four 6-yearly quarters. HCC etiology was categorized as hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV + hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HCV infection, and both negative (non-BC). The incident cases of HCC per quarter of the study period were 4311 (21.0%), 5505 (26.8%), 5776 (28.1%), and 4955 (24.1%), sequentially. Overall, 14,020 (68.2%) patients were male. The number of HCC cases in patients < 60 years, 60–69 years, 70–79 years, and ≥ 80 years were 3711 (18.1%), 6652 (32.4%), 7448 (36.2%), and 2736 (13.3%), respectively. The average age of newly-diagnosed patients increased in each quarter. HCC was associated with HBV, HBV + HCV, and HCV infections and non-BC in 2997 (14.6%), 187 (0.9%), and 12,019 (58.5%), and 5344 (26.0%) cases, respectively. The number of HCV-associated cases decreased in each quarter, while that of non-BC-associated cases increased. HCC incident cases tend to increase in the elderly and in non-BC patients; in contrast, HCC incident cases due to HCV tend to decrease