Liver Cancer in Nepal

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly incidental in South Asian countries. Nepal, however, has low incidence for HCC owing to low prevalence for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Nepal lacked national cancer registry until 2003. Though there has been some effort in having one, the current registry incorporates twelve centers and may not properly represent the total cancer burden in the country. Serology for HBV and HCV is seen to be positive in nearly 25 to 30% and 5 to 10% of HCCs respectively. Clinical characteristics of HCCs in Nepal have been discussed in this mini-review and it features poor performance status and advanced stage at presentation, making only a small fraction of these subjects eligible for curative treatment options. Most of the standard treatment modalities are available in Nepal and appear to be reasonably affordable as compared with other developed nations. How to cite this article: Shrestha A. Liver Cancer in Nepal. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2018;8(1):63-65.