Racial differences in survival of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States: a population-based study

Survival after hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis is generally dismal, but there are patients with more favorable outcomes. Racial variation in survival of patients with HCC could be associated with observed differences in survival; however this has not been previously examined.

During 1987-2001, HCC patients were identified from 9 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results registries. One- and 3-year survival rates were calculated and compared by race. Models were constructed to examine the effects of race on the mortality risk.

Asians had the highest 1- and 3-year observed and relative survival, followed by whites, Hispanics, and blacks. Compared with whites, Asians (odds ratio [OR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.69) were more likely to receive local or surgical therapy, whereas blacks (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.49-0.78) and Hispanics (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.60-1.09) were less likely to receive therapy. Adjusting for differences in receipt of therapy, stage of HCC, year of diagnosis, and other demographics, Asians (hazard rate [HR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.78-0.91) maintained a lower mortality risk compared with whites. In adjusted models, Hispanics (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.24) maintained a higher mortality risk, whereas the mortality risk for blacks became nonsignificant different from whites (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.99-1.14). Last, a 22% improvement in survival was observed between 1987-1991 and 1997-2001, which was mostly explained by increased receipt of local or surgical therapy.

We observed significant racial variation in survival. These variations in survival are partly explained by a lower likelihood of receipt of therapy and more advanced HCC at diagnosis among blacks and Hispanics.