J Korean Med Sci.  2013 Oct;28(10):1449-1453. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.10.1449.

Status of Primary Liver Cancer Found through Routine Health Check-up

• Lee C
• Yang JI
• Byun HJ
• Kang JM
• Choi S
• Yim JY

• KMID: 1777680
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.10.1449

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the status of primary liver cancers found through a routine health check-up. The data of subjects who were diagnosed with primary liver cancer for the first time through a routine health check-up during a period of 8-yr were analyzed. Primary liver cancers were detected for the first time in 34 subjects among 91,219 routine health check-up subjects. Only 11.8% of primary liver cancer subjects had been under previous surveillance. Of them, 55.8% were positive for HBsAg, 17.7% were positive for anti-HCV, and 8.8% were heavy alcohol comsumers. However, 17.7% of the subjects were neither heavy alcohol consumers nor positive for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. Of the subjects, 50.0% had a single nodular tumor, 23.5% had multi-nodular tumors, and 26.5% had an infiltrative tumor. A routine health check-up may provide beneficial opportunities to detect a liver cancer in a very early stage. It is beneficial to start surveillance in high-risk subjects for liver cancer or to detect any liver cancer in subjects without risk factors of chronic viral hepatitis or heavy alcohol consumption.

Keyword

Liver Neoplasms; Mass Screening; Population Surveillance

MeSH Terms

Age Factors
Alcohol Drinking
Early Detection of Cancer
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood
Hepatitis C Antibodies/blood
Humans
Liver Neoplasms/*diagnosis/epidemiology/ultrasonography
Questionnaires
Sex Factors
Smoking
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
Hepatitis C Antibodies

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Differences in gross tumor type according to associated risk factors for primary liver cancer.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of treatment methods according to gross tumor type.

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