OBJECTIVES: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent primary liver cancer in adults, and it is one of the fastest-rising causes of cancer-related deaths in the US. This study examined the incidence and survival rates for HCC in recent years.

METHODS: We identified patients with HCC (using ICD-O3: C22.0 and histological codes 8170-8175) among patients aged ≥ 20 years between 2008-2018, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Annual, age-adjusted incidence rates of HCC per 100,000 individuals were calculated by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Cancer-specific 5-year survival rates (5-YSR) were examined using the Kaplan Meier method.

RESULTS: A total of 73,168 HCC patients were identified between 2008-2018 using the SEER. Most of these patients were male (77%), aged between 60-69 years (37%), non-Hispanic whites (50%), and with localized tumor stage (50%). The overall incidence and 5-YSR of HCC patients were 9.3 [standard error [SE]=0.03] per 100,000 person-years (PY), and 24.3% (SE=0.27), respectively. The overall incidence among men (15.2 per 100,000 PY, SE=0.07) was at least thrice as high as the incidence among women (4.1 per 100,000 PY, SE=0.03). Patients aged ≥ 60 years (27.1 per 100,000 PY; SE=0.12) had a higher incidence than younger patients. The overall 5-YSR was lower in men (23.5%; SE=0.30) as compared to women (27.3%; SE=0.58). HCC incidence rate was highest among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native (16.3 per 100,000 PY; SE=0.56), and the 5-YSR was highest among non-Hispanic Asians/Pacific Islanders (31.6%; SE=0.71). The overall incidence rate of HCC increased by 18% between 2008 to 2014, with a peak in 2014 (9.8 per 100,000 PY; SE=0.12), and gradually declined thereafter.

CONCLUSIONS: The HCC incidence and survival rates vary by sex and race/ethnicity. Despite the recent decrease in HCC incidence rates, the overall rates remain high, with a significant need to reduce the disease burden.