Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: Our case series and literature review

Recently, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has been considered to be another cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The natural history and prognosis of NASH are controversial. Accordingly, we assessed the clinicopathological features of NASH-associated HCC in our experience and reviewed the literature of NASH-associated HCC. We experienced 11 patients with NASH-associated HCC (6 male, 5 female; mean age 73.8 ± 4.9 years) who received curative treatments. Most (91%) patients had been diagnosed with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia. Seven patients (64%) also had a non-cirrhotic liver. The recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 72%, 60%, and 60%. We also summarized and reviewed 94 cases of NASH-associated HCC which were reported in the literature (64 male; mean age 66 years). The majority of patients (68%) were obese, 66% of patients had diabetes, and 24% had dyslipidemia. Furthermore, 26% of the HCCs arose from the non-cirrhotic liver. In conclusion, patients with non-cirrhotic NASH may be a high-risk group for HCC, and regular surveillance for HCC is necessary in non-cirrhotic NASH patients as well as cirrhotic patients.