ABSTRACT
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer mortality, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 632,000 cases (1). Accounting for about 90% of all primary liver cancers, HCC is unique in that it develops in the background of well-recognized risk factors that are responsible for marked variations of the tumor prevalence and clinical presentation worldwide. Sequential scrutiny of the cancer registries has demonstrated important variations in the temporal trends of HCC incidence, with some evidence for an increase in incidence in resource-rich countries. In this region, molecular epidemiology investigations have predicted a further rise in HCC incidence and mortality rates in the next decades due to the accumulation of patients with chronic liver diseases who are expected to develop HCC.
