Resectability rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in rural southern Africans

The purpose of this analysis was to ascertain the resectability rate of symptomatic hepatocellular carcinoma in rural southern African black males. All 224 such patients proven to have hepatocellular carcinoma in a single hospital were included in the study. Of 205 patients undergoing a complete diagnostic work-up, 134 [65.3 per cent) were judged on clinical criteria to be inoperable, 23 (11.2 per cent) had pulmonary or osseous metastases, and 38 (18.5 per cent) proved on hepatic imaging and 5 (2.4 per cent) on hepatic arteriography to have an irresectable tumour. Thus, only five (2.4 per cent) of these patients proceeded to laparotomy. Another 7 patients who did not have an arteriogram, 9 with surgical emergencies, and 2 mistakenly believed to have an amoebic hepatic abscess also underwent laparotomy. Only 2 patients (0.9 per cent of 223) proved to have a resectable tumour. The extremely low resectability rate reinforces the urgent need for a surveillance programme to detect early tumours in high-risk members of this population.