Features of hepatocellular carcinoma in Hispanics differ from African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites

AIM: To compare features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Hispanics to those of African Americans and Whites. METHODS: Patients treated for HCC at an urban tertiary medical center from 2005 to 2011 were identified from a tumor registry. Data were collected retrospectively, including demographics, comorbidities, liver disease characteristics, tumor parameters, treatment, and survival (OS) outcomes. OS analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-five patients with HCC were identified: 80.5% were male, and 22% were age 65 or older. Mean age at HCC diagnosis was 59.7 ± 9.8 years. Sixty-one point five percent of patients had Medicare or Medicaid; 4.1% were uninsured. Compared to African American (31.2%) and White (46.2%) patients, Hispanic patients (22.6%) were more likely to have diabetes (P = 0.0019), hyperlipidemia (P = 0.0001), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (P = 0.0021), end stage renal disease (P = 0.0057), and less likely to have hepatitis C virus (P < 0.0001) or a smoking history (P < 0.0001). Compared to African Americans, Hispanics were more likely to meet criteria for metabolic syndrome (P = 0.0491), had higher median MELD scores (P = 0.0159), ascites (P = 0.008), and encephalopathy (P = 0.0087). Hispanic patients with HCC had shorter OS than the other racial groups (P = 0.020), despite similarities in HCC parameters and treatment. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Hispanic patients with HCC have higher incidence of modifiable metabolic risk factors including NASH, and shorter OS than African American and White patients.