Is the treatment outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma inferior in elderly patients?

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG Vol. 25; no. 27; pp. 3563 - 3571
• Main Authors: Chu, Kevin Ka Wan, Chok, Kenneth Siu Ho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 21.07.2019
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - mortality; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - therapy; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic - methods; Comorbidity; Disease-Free Survival; Hepatectomy; Humans; Liver Neoplasms - mortality; Liver Neoplasms - therapy; Liver Transplantation; Middle Aged; Minireviews; Molecular Targeted Therapy - methods; Patient Selection; Radiofrequency Ablation; Sorafenib - therapeutic use; Survival Rate; Treatment Outcome; Clinical outcome; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Aged; Surgery; Hepatectomy
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i27.3563

In view of the increasing life expectancy in different parts of the world, a larger proportion of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) requiring oncological treatment is expected. The clinicopathological characteristics of HCC in elderly patients and in younger patients are different. Elderly patients, in general, also have more comorbidities. Evaluation of the efficacy of different HCC treatment options in elderly patients is necessary to optimize treatment outcomes for them. Treatment modalities for HCC include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, radiofrequency ablation, transarterial chemoembolization, and molecular-targeted therapy with sorafenib. In this review, current evidence on the risks and outcomes of the different HCC treatments for elderly patients are discussed. According to data in the literature, elderly patients and younger patients benefited similarly from HCC treatments. More clinical data are needed for the determination of selecting criteria on elderly HCC patients to maximize their chance of getting the most appropriate and effective treatments. As such, further studies evaluating the outcomes of different HCC treatment modalities in elderly patients are warranted.