Ezzat R, Eltabbakh M, El Kassas M. Unique situation of hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt: A review of epidemiology and control measures. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2021; 13(12): 1919-1938 [PMID: 35070033 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v13.i12.1919]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mohamed El Kassas, MD, Associate Professor, Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo 11795, Cairo, Egypt. m_elkassas@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2021; 13(12): 1919-1938 Published online Dec 15, 2021. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v13.i12.1919
Unique situation of hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt: A review of epidemiology and control measures
Reem Ezzat, Mohamed Eltabbakh, Mohamed El Kassas
Reem Ezzat, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt
Mohamed Eltabbakh, Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
Mohamed El Kassas, Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Cairo, Egypt
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the work, literature review, drafting and critical revision, editing, and final approval of the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None related to this work.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohamed El Kassas, MD, Associate Professor, Endemic Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo 11795, Cairo, Egypt. m_elkassas@yahoo.com
Received: March 12, 2021 Peer-review started: March 12, 2021 First decision: April 6, 2021 Revised: April 17, 2021 Accepted: October 18, 2021 Article in press: October 18, 2021 Published online: December 15, 2021
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common primary malignancy worldwide, and the third most common cause of death among cancers worldwide. HCC occurs in several pre-existing conditions, including hepatitis C, hepatitis B virus, and non-alcoholic cirrhosis. Egypt used to be the country with the heaviest hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden. The relationship between HCV and HCC is an important research area. In Egypt, HCC is a significant public health problem. A possible cause for the increasing rates of detection of HCC in Egypt is the mass screening program that was carried by the government for detecting and treating HCV. A multidisciplinary approach is now widely applied to HCC management in health centers all over Egypt. Different treatment modalities are available in Egypt, with success rates comparable to global rates. The Egyptian health authorities have made the elimination of HCV from Egypt a special priority, and this approach should lead to a decrease in number of HCC cases in the near future. In this article we review the current situation of HCC in Egypt, including epidemiological aspects, relevant risk factors for HCC development, strategies, and efforts established by health authorities for the screening and prevention of both HCV and HCC in Egypt. We highlight the different modalities for HCC treatment.
Core Tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and the fourth most common in Egypt. Many risk factors may lead to the development of HCC, and the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCC in Egypt is an important research area. Major screening programs for HCV in Egypt, such as the national initiative for screening 65 million citizens, have produced high success rates on the way for eliminating the main risk factor for HCC in the country. It is now an appropriate time for principled guidance and screening programs for HCC in Egypt.
