Survey and follow-up study of primary liver cancer in Japan - Report 12

Abstract

The participants in this survey conducted by The Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan were patients with primary liver cancer diagnosed and treated from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993 in 649 hospitals throughout the country. They comprised 13381 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, 432 of cholangiocellular carcinoma, 22 of cystadenocarcinoma, 56 of mixed carcinoma, 18 of hepatoblastoma, and 11 of sarcoma in clinical or histological diagnosis. This report showed the present status of primary liver cancer in Japan, particularly, that of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocellular carcinoma in the view point of the epidemiology, clinicopathological features, diagnosis and treatments. Furthermore, using both the above primary cases and 9854 cases who have been followed-up, the cumulative survival rates of the patients who underwent hepatic resection, transarterial embolization and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy were calculated with Cutler- Edeler method. In addition, multivariate analysis with logistic model and the stepwise method were performed to determine the prognostic variables and to investigate the appropriate combination of these variables for predicting a prognosis.