Survival Rate of Liver Cancer Patients After Diagnosis at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Hospital

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The incidence of liver and bile duct cancer  is very  high in Northeast Thailand, especially in Ubon Ratchathani Province. The objective of this study was to determine  the post-diagnosis   survival rate of liver cancer patients  in Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Hospital.

Method : This  was a  retrospective cohort study using  Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Registry data on patients  diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or,   cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) between January 1, 2014 and December 31 2018.  The 1,764 cases were  followed up  until December 31, 2020. Survival rates were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method , and presented as median survival rates  with  95% confidence interval.

Results : ,  A mortality (case-fatality) rate of 68.6 per 100 person-year was found (95%CI : 63.7 to 73.7) for the 847 HCC cases.  The case-fatality rate for the   917 CCA cases was 96.5 per 100 person-year (95%CI : 90.1 to 103.2). The median survival for  HCC was 0.6 years (95%CI; 0.5 to 0.7) and, for CCA was 0.4 years (95%CI; 0.3 to 0.4). The HCC survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years  were 37.1% ( 95% CI ; 33.8 to 40.3), 16.8% (95% CI ; 14.4 to 19.5) and 12.7% (95% CI ; 10.4 to 15.3).  CCA survival rates for the same time periods were 27.4% ( 95% CI ; 24.5 to 30.3), 9.6% (95% CI ; 7.8 to 11.6) and 7.1% (95% CI ; 5.5 to 9.0), respectively.

Conclusion : Survival rates for liver cancer patients  at five years post-diagnosis are low, especially for CCA.  The best prevention is early detection, and receiving  treatment quickly to  prolong survival time.