Epidemiology of liver malignancies in Jordan: A MENA region insight.

Abstract

e22581 Background: Liver malignancies present a healthcare challenge from late presentations to complex treatment, a rise in prevalence of hepatitis, obesity, and other risk factors, has contributed to the global increase in liver cancer. MENA region epidemiological data about liver malignancies is still limited. This study aims to measure the trends in age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIR) of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts malignancies in Jordan. Methods: This retrospective, population-based study analyzed data from the Jordan Cancer Registry between 2004 and 2018. Patients diagnosed with liver and intrahepatic bile duct malignancies were included. Age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIRs) were calculated per 100,000 person-years using the World Standard Population. Linear regression was applied to evaluate trends in AAIRs over this period. Results were stratified by liver cancer subtype, including hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma, and other less common subtypes, based on ICD-10 histological classification with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: From 2004 to 2018, a total of 1,301 patients were diagnosed with liver and intrahepatic bile duct malignancies, with a mean age of diagnosis of 59 years. Males accounted for 873 cases (67.1%), while females accounted for 428 cases (32.9%). The age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) of liver malignancies in Jordan averaged 26.5 cases per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 25.2–28.0), with no significant change over the years. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounted for 52.1% of the cases (n = 678), followed by intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma (cholangiocarcinoma), which accounted for 25.7% of the cases (n = 334). The remaining cases included hepatoblastoma, angiosarcoma, other sarcomas, and unspecified carcinomas of the liver, contributing to the diversity of liver cancer subtypes in the study. Conclusions: This study showed a stable but a high incidence trend of liver cancer in Jordan over 14 years, which may be driven by factors like hepatitis b, hepatitis c, alcohol use, obesity and occupational exposure. Liver cancer risk factors must be controlled to potentially reduce incidence rates in the next years, further studies should evaluate survival outcomes and assess the effectiveness of available treatment plans, which will help reducing the burden of this disease.