Patients

A series of 208 patients were retrospectively recruited in the Department of Internal Medicine from CHUL between 2011 and 2019. The criteria of inclusion for HCC were the presence of a liver mass above 1 cm in diameter at ultrasound or computed tomography with an arterial enhancement and a wash-out in venous phase, and/or a serum α-fetoprotein concentration above 400ng/ml in a clinical context of chronic liver disease (9, 10). LC was scored in case on the combination of portal hypertension, hepatocellular insufficiency, and changes in the hepatic parenchyma at ultrasound. No histological or elastometric appraisal of cirrhosis was available.

The etiological diagnosis of disease was attributed to HBV when HBsAg or HBV DNA was present; it was for HCV when anti-HCV immunoglobulins or HCV RNA were present. The causality of alcohol intoxication was retained when consumption was estimated to exceed 60 g/day. Clinical and biological data were collected at the time of admission to the department and before starting treatment. Most of the patients were unaware of their conditions and did not receive any antiviral therapy before the diagnosis of already severe disease.

The criteria for exclusion were the lack of clinical and/or biological data and the detection of liver nodules concomitant to an extra-hepatic primary tumor.

Due to the retrospective nature of the study, no informed consent was obtained for the patients before 2019, while patients recruited in 2019 gave their informed consent to participate in the study. The institutional review board approved the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Convention of Helsinki.