Characteristics at presentation and outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the elderly: A study of the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP)

PurposeTo describe the characteristics at presentation and the outcome of elderly patients (≥70 years old) with HCC, a retrospective analysis using a CLIP database was performed.Patients and methodsThe database included 650 patients. χ2-test, logistic and Cox model were applied.ResultsBaseline characteristics and stage were similarly among elderly (n = 158) and non-elderly (n = 492) patients. More elderly patients did not receive any local treatment (56% versus 38%, p < 0.0001). Age and CLIP score were independently predictive of the odds of locoregional treatment. Prognosis was worse for elderly patients with a hazard ratio of death of 1.49 (95% CI 1.20–1.86) at multivariable analysis. The survival difference disappeared when patients were compared within each treatment group, suggesting a close link between undertreatment and shorter survival.ConclusionElderly patients with HCC have a worse prognosis compared to non-elderly ones. Such difference seems the consequence of undertreatment.