Trends and Disparities in Stage-Specific Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma among US Adults, 2004–2019

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the stage-specific incidence trend of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among US adults. METHODS: The age-adjusted incidence rate was extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database for localized, regional, and distant HCC. Trend analyses were conducted in the overall population and stratified by demographic and sociodemographic variables. The annual percentage change (APC) in 2014–2019 was estimated to determine the stage-specific incidence trend. RESULTS: Although the incidence of localized HCC significantly declined, the incidence for regional and distant HCC plateaued in 2014–2019 (APCs, 4.4% [95% CI, −0.2% to 9.3%] and −0.7% [95% CI, −1.8% to 0.5%], respectively) with age and race/ethnicity disparities. More pronounced increases for regional and distant HCC were observed among the elderly (APCs, 8.4% [95% CI, 4.8–12.2%] and 2.2% [95% CI, 1.7–2.7%] for regional and distant HCC, respectively), non-Hispanic white individuals (APCs, 4.0% [95% CI, 2.9–5.1%] and 1.5% [95% CI, 0.7–2.4%] for regional and distant HCC, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in incidence trends may reflect the inequalities in access to primary health care. More efforts are still in great demand for the vulnerable population.