Clin Mol Hepatol.  2022 Oct;28(4):851-863. 10.3350/cmh.2022.0037.

Impact of nationwide hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance on the prognosis in patients with chronic liver disease

Affiliations
  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • 2Department of Clinical Research Design and Evaluation, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sunkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
  • 3Center for Clinical Epidemiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sunkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • 4Department of Digital Healthcare, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sunkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
  • 5Division of Population Health Research, Department of Precision Medicine, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju, Korea
  • 6Department of Epidemiology and Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
  • 7Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • 8Department of Health Science and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science and Technology, Sunkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Background/Aims
This study aimed to investigate the effect of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance using the Korea National Liver Cancer Screening Program on the receipt of curative treatment for HCC and mortality in patients with chronic liver disease.
Methods
This population-based cohort study from the Korean National Health Insurance Service included 2003 to 2015 claims data collected from 1,209,825 patients aged ≥40 years with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis. Patients were divided according to HCC surveillance using ultrasonography and serum alpha-fetoprotein every 6–12 months. The study outcomes were the receipt of curative treatment (surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, or liver transplantation) and all-cause mortality.
Results
The study population consisted of 1,209,825 patients with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis (median age, 52.0 years; interquartile range, 46–55 years; 683,902 men [56.5%]). The proportion of participants who underwent HCC surveillance was 52.7% (n=657,889). During 10,522,940 person-years of follow-up, 74,433 HCC cases developed, including 36,006 patients who underwent curative treatment. The surveillance group had a significantly higher proportion of curative treatment for HCC than the non-surveillance group after adjusting for confounding factors (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 5.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.48–5.81). The surveillance group had a significantly lower mortality rate than the non-surveillance group (adjusted HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.55–0.56).
Conclusions
HCC surveillance using the national screening program in patients with chronic viral hepatitis or liver cirrhosis provides better opportunity for curative treatment for HCC and improves overall survival.

Keyword

Hepatitis; Liver cirrhosis; Public health surveillance; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Nationwide healthcare insurance
Full Text Links
  • CMH
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr