Demographic and clinical characteristics of resectable hepatocellular carcinoma in China and Japan.

Background/aims: To describe and compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients subject to surgical operation at two referral centers in China and Japan.

Methodology: Information on surgical HCC patients was retrieved from medical records. All patients were subjected to regular follow-up. The characteristics of HCC cases from two countries were described and compared.

Results: A total of 353 newly diagnosed cases subject to surgical resection for HCC from 1995 to 1999 were analyzed in China and Japan. Differences were noted in the demographic and clinical characteristics of HCC patients between the two countries, such as average age of incidence, history of blood transfusion, serum examination, and history of hepatic viral infection. Statistical analysis also indicated differences in surgical systematic anatomical resection (p < 0.001), liver cirrhosis (p < 0.05), tumor diameter, and distant metastases (p < 0.001). The Chinese patients in early TNM stage I showed poorer outcomes in terms of cumulative survival in comparison with Japanese patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: HCC patients in Japan were diagnosed earlier, subject to more standard treatment, and had better prognosis. Examination with a larger population and more clinical data, including repeated treatment for recurrent HCC, will be required to provide a more accurate assessment of HCC in the two countries.