Trend of Improving Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Clinical Practice: An Italian In-Field Experience

Background Recent data suggest that outcome of hepatocarcinoma is improving. Aims In order to explore whether survival is also increasing in clinical practice, we compared two multicenter independent in-field cohorts of cirrhotics with newly diagnosed HCCs. Methods Cohort 1 (C1) consisted of 327 patients enrolled between January and December 1998, and cohort 2 (C2) included 826 patients enrolled between September 2008 and November 2012. Patients were stratified according to Child-Pugh score, MELD score, and HCC staged according to TNM, BCLC systems. Results At baseline, C2 patients were significantly older, with more frequent comorbidities and better liver function. In C2, HCC was more frequently detected under regular ultrasound surveillance ( P < 0.001), BCLC early stages were more frequent, and rates of smaller and uni/paucinodular tumors were significantly higher. Treatment of any type was more frequently offered to C2 patients ( P < 0.001). Proportion of patients treated by TACE increased, and radiofrequency ablation was the most used ablative treatment. Survival rate was significantly higher in C2 being C1 and C2 survival at 1–3 years 72–25 and 75–44 %, respectively. Child-Pugh score A, BCLC stage A, single nodule, size ≤3 cm, belonging to cohort C2 and treatment per se independently predicted survival. Conclusions This in-field study showed a trend on improved HCC outcomes over time, which seems to be mainly due to a better presentation thanks to the wider application of surveillance and increased propensity to treat patients. These encouraging data should support further efforts to implement such approach to HCC in everyday clinical practice.