Clinical Characteristics of Primary Liver Cancer

Overview

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is the sixth most common malignancy in the world and the third most common cause of malignancy death. In 2020, there were about 905,677 new cases of PLC worldwide, and 830,180 deaths. Despite the availability of a variety of treatments for PLC, the 5-year net survival rate is still only 5% to 30%. How to effectively reduce the disease burden of PLC is a major public health problem that needs to be solved worldwide. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of PLC caused by different pathogenic factors are different. Therefore, it is of great significance to fully identify the risk factors of PLC, be familiar with the clinical characteristics and prognosis of disease development, and understand the relevant monitoring and follow-up strategies for the prevention and treatment of PLC.

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is the sixth most common malignancy in the world and the third most common cause of malignancy death. PLC mainly includes hepatocellular carcinoma (75%-85%) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (10%-15%). In 2020, there were about 905,677 new cases of PLC worldwide, and 830,180 deaths. Despite the availability of a variety of treatments for PLC, the 5-year net survival rate is still only 5% to 30%. How to effectively reduce the disease burden of PLC is a major public health problem that needs to be solved worldwide. Common risk factors for PLC include Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, alcohol consumption, metabolic factors, etc. Although antiviral drugs can control or even cure chronic HBV and HCV to a certain extent, chronic viral infection is still the leading cause of PLC worldwide. In addition, with the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the incidence of non-infectious PLC is gradually increasing. In recent years, NAFLD has gradually become the leading cause of liver transplant waiting list for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of PLC caused by different pathogenic factors are different. Therefore, it is of great significance to fully identify the risk factors of PLC, be familiar with the clinical characteristics and prognosis of disease development, and understand the relevant monitoring and follow-up strategies for the prevention and treatment of PLC. Currently, there are few large, single-center cohort studies on the clinical features and long-term prognosis of PLC.