This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Falkson, G. Articles by Falkson, H. C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Falkson, G. Articles by Falkson, H. C.

Prognostic Factors for Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma¹

Department of Medical Oncology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X169, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa [G. F., H. C. F.]; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 [A. C., L. M. R.]; and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55901 [A. J. S.]

Associations between patient characteristics and survival were investigated in 432 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Those patients were prospectively studied by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, and each had his or her diagnosis reconfirmed by a pathology review panel. There were 301 North American and 131 South African patients. Sixty-nine % of the North American patients and 82% of the South African patients were male. There were 187 Black patients, 62 of whom were from North America.

The study population is unique among hepatocellular carcinoma patients in that eligibility, evaluability, and endpoint definitions were standardized, and patients from both North America and South Africa received similar treatments at a similar time.

Factors with the most significant adverse effect on survival are impaired performance status, male sex, older age, and disease symptoms (jaundice and reduced appetite). There is no apparent difference in survival between White and Black patients within North America, but North American patients survived longer than South African patients. Among the different therapies, p.o. 5-fluorouracil was associated with the poorest median survival time (6 wk), and i.v. 5-fluorouracil plus semustine with the best median survival time (24 wk).

¹ This study was conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (Paul P. Carbone, M. D., Chairman; Grant CA 21115) and supported by USPHS grants from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, and the Department of Health and Human Services (Grants CA 21692, CA 23318, and CA 13650).

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 3/16/88. Revised 7/13/88. Accepted 9/ 6/88.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Trevisani, M.C. Cantarini, J.R. Wands, and M. Bernardi Recent advances in the natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma Carcinogenesis, July 1, 2008; 29(7): 1299 - 1305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]