Epidemiological Characteristics of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Northern Region of Vietnam

Epidemiological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Southern Vietnam has been well reported as in Globocan 2018 while data from the North has still not been fully presented. Therefore, we conducted this retrospective descriptive study on 198 advanced HCC patients treated at 3 major hospitals in Northern Vietnam to describe demographic features, HCC risk factors, and correlation among them in patients with advanced HCC. This information will lead to prevention efforts and provide information for allocating funds for treatment. The median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range: 19-86) and the male/female ratio was 8.9/1. The proportions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were 81.3% and 5.6%, respectively. Hepatitis C virus infection rate was significantly higher in patients <50 years old (12.5% vs 3.3%, P = .016). There was no significant difference in age or viral hepatitis infection status by gender. Only 7.6% of patients diagnosed with advanced HCC were asymptomatic. In conclusion, with the high rate of HBV infection among patients with advanced HCC, it is necessary for increasing prevention efforts in HBV screening. Furthermore, HCV infection should be noticed in patients with advanced HCC younger than 50 years old.