Key clinical point: Cirrhosis is often unrecognized in patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unrecognized cirrhosis is associated with more advanced HCC at diagnosis and a worse prognosis.
Major finding: Patients with unrecognized cirrhosis vs those with known cirrhosis diagnosed with HCC under surveillance had a significantly shorter median survival (0.89 years [95% CI 0.78-1.01] vs 3.79 years [95% CI 3.19-4.39]) and a higher mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio 2.36; 95% CI 2.09-2.66).
Study details: This retrospective cohort study included 2670 adult patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis, of which 1033 had unrecognized cirrhosis at HCC diagnosis and 901 had known cirrhosis with HCC diagnosed under surveillance.
Disclosures: No source of funding was disclosed. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Vaz J et al. Unrecognized liver cirrhosis is common and associated with worse survival in hepatocellular carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study of 3473 patients. J Intern Med. 2022 (Sep 27). Doi: 10.1111/joim.13570