Aman ur Rehman, Sohail Murad.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A retrospective analysis of 118 cases.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;12(2):108-9.

Objective: This study aimed at documenting the spectrum of clinicopathological variations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Design: It was a retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL) Hospital, Lahore from March 1997 to December 2000. Patients and Methods: The profiles of 118 patients with a biopsy proven hepatocellular carcinoma were analyzed in this period. The data collected was age, sex, clinical presentation and laboratory investigations including liver function tests, alpha fetoprotein and hepatitis profile. Results: Weight loss, jaundice and right upper quadrant abdominal pain were the main presenting symptoms. Out of 118 patients, alpha fetoprotein values were raised in 63 (53.38%) patients 106 (89.83%) patients were found to have or have had HBV infection, and 92 (77.96%) patients were anti-HCV positive. Eighty-three (70.33%) patients were cirrhotic. History of alcohol abuse was found in three patients. Conclusion: The common association of HCC with cirrhosis and hepatitis B and C suggests that vaccination against HBV on nationwide basis can decrease prevalence of this malignancy. There is a need to generate public awareness regarding the transmission of these viruses. Early diagnosis and intervention is also important to the successful management of HCC.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com