Faculty Collaboration Database

Hepatocellular carcinoma in hemophilia. Am J Hematol 1991 Aug;37(4):243-6

Date

08/01/1991

Pubmed ID

1650134

DOI

10.1002/ajh.2830370406

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0025740690 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   68 Citations

Abstract

A questionnaire-based survey involving 11,801 hemophiliacs from 54 hemophilia centers in the USA and Europe documented the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 10 patients. The crude rate of HCC was 3.2/100,000 patients/year, at least 30 times higher than the background incidence of this tumor in the countries of origin of the patients. All patients were Caucasians with hemophilia A, 39 to 74 years of age, and had liver cirrhosis. All had one or more risk factor for cirrhosis and HCC: 5 were positive for serum hepatitis B surface antigen, 4 had the antibody to hepatitis C virus, and 4 had histories of alcohol abuse. Serum alpha-fetoprotein, measured in 6 patients, was significantly elevated in 4 (range: 807-1399 ng/ml), and only moderately elevated in 2 (25 and 171 ng/ml). The onset of HCC was asymptomatic in 5 patients, whereas it was accompanied by jaundice, abdominal pain, or ascites in the remaining patients. Thus, HCC seems to be a more important secondary disease for hemophiliacs than formerly recognized. Since HCC is often asymptomatic, screening hemophiliacs with chronic liver disease with periodic ultrasound scans might increase the changes of detecting HCC at a stage amenable to surgical treatment.

Author List

Colombo M, Mannucci PM, Brettler DB, Girolami A, Lian EC, Rodeghiero F, Scharrer I, Smith PS, White GC 2nd

Author

Gilbert C. White MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
HIV Seropositivity
Hemophilia A
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis
Liver Neoplasms
Male
Middle Aged
Multicenter Studies as Topic