Hepatocellular carcinoma in Jos, Nigeria

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common abdominal malignancy, representing 80-90% of primary liver malignancies around the world. There is a disturbing trend of increased incidence of HCC around the world. We therefore, determined the trend of HCC in Jos.

A ten-year retrospective review was done of all cases of HCC which diagnoses were histologically confirmed as recorded in the Cancer Registry of Jos University Teaching Hospital. The patients' clinical case notes (including surgical and radiological findings) were also reviewed.

A total of 71 cases of HCC (31.3% of 227 liver biopsies in the same period) were diagnosed within the 10-year period. There were 46 males and 25 females with a male/female ratio of 1.8:1. The age range of the patients was 23 years to 75 years, with a mean age of 45.4 +/- 13.1 years. Seventy two percent (72%) of them were between ages 21 years and 50 years. Only 28% were between 51 years and 80 years. The highest rate of 12 (17.1%) was seen in the year 2004.

The study showed that there was a high prevalence of HCC in Jos, and that HCC was more prevalent in the younger age group compared to what obtains in developed nations.