Epidemiology and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Southern Germany

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) belongs to the most frequent tumors worldwide with an incidence still rising. Patients with cirrhosis are at the highest risk for cancerogenesis and are candidates for surveillance, and here, as well as for the choice of potential forms of treatment, identification of suitable parameters for estimating the prognosis is of high clinical importance. Aims: To describe the etiology of cirrhosis and to identify predictors of survival in a large single center cohort of HCC patients in Southern Germany. Methods: Clinicopathological characteristics and survival rates of 458 pat…