Hepatocellular Carcinoma Occurs at an Earlier Age in Africans, Particularly in Association With Chronic Hepatitis B

Abstract

To the Editor: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly endemic in Africa (1). There is a general anecdotal consensus that persons with HCC induced by viral hepatitis or other causes in Africa present at younger ages than in other regions of the World. This has resulted in recommended guidelines that surveillance of African-born persons at risk for HCC should begin at the age of 20 years (2). However, a more comprehensive description of the current status of liver cancer epidemiology in Africa is still lacking. We aim to develop a consortium of collaborating centers to establish a database of HCC cases in order to describe the clinical features of patients with HCC in Africa with the objective of providing a representative perspective from the entire African continent.