Risk factors of hepatocelluar carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis in Vietnam

Introduction:<br/>Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading liver cancer and liver-related death in the world. In Vietnam, hepatitis B was found to be the most common disease in patients with cirrhosis and HCC. However, there is still a lack of population-based, high-quality studies for assessing the risk factors and epidemiology of cirrhosis and HCC in this country. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the risk factors of HCC in Vietnamese populations.<br/><br/>Methods:<br/>The study design was a retrospective cohort study, with a total of 12,476 visits from 4,445 patients with cirrhosis at Nghe An Tropical Diseases Centre, Vietnam, recruited from April 2020 to October 2022. Collected data included age, gender, and disease characteristics of patients, including time of diagnosis, comorbidity, and treatment.<br/><br/>Results:<br/>Consistent with previous reports, we found that both cirrhosis and HCC were commonly found in men. The age groups from 60 to 79 were significantly at risk of developing HCC than other age groups. Patients with coinfections of chronic viral hepatitis were significantly at risk of HCC development. Treatment with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in patients with only hepatitis B virus significantly reduced HCC development, compared to patients with coinfections of chronic viral hepatitis. Cirrhosis patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) showed a significantly higher association with HCC development than those without it.<br/><br/>Conclusion:<br/>HBV significantly contributed to cirrhosis and HCC in Vietnam, while HCV was the major concern for HCC development. These findings explain the main cause of cirrhosis and HCC burden in Vietnam and the region.<br/>Keywords: cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, Vietnam, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.