[Hepatocellular carcinoma in France. Clinical, biological and virological aspects in 197 patients].

The authors report the clinical and biological features in 197 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma seen in two French hospitals. Mean age was 63 +/- 12 years. Eighty-nine per cent were men. Cirrhosis was present in 88 p. 100. Alcoholic liver disease was associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in 71.5 p. 100. At the time of diagnosis, ascites was present in 62 p. 100 of the patients, jaundice in 49 p. 100, encephalopathy in 20 p. 100 and gastrointestinal bleeding in 12.5 p. 100. Twenty patients (10 p. 100) did not have any of these complications. An increase in serum gammaglutamyl transpeptidase and ASAT was the most frequent biological abnormality observed in 96 and 94 p. 100 of patients respectively. Hypercalcemia and a high hematocrit were present in 5 and 6 p. 100 of patients respectively. Serum HBs Ag (RIA) was present in 17.5 p. 100 of patients, anti-HBc in 50 p. 100 and anti-HBs in 33.5 p. 100; 38.5 p. 100 of patients had no serum HBV marker. Serum alphafetoprotein levels were higher than 20 ng/ml, 250 ng/ml and 1,000 ng/ml in 76.5 p. 100, 43.5 p. 100 and 33 p. 100 of patients respectively. There were no relationships between the presence of serum markers of HBV or high alphafetoprotein levels and clinical and biological data. These results confirm that the clinical, biological and virological aspects of hepatocellular carcinoma in France are similar to those reported in other western countries.