TITLE:
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Micronesians, a Growing Pacific Islander Population in the U.S.
AUTHORS:
Eric M. Wu, Brenda Y. Hernandez, Linda L. Wong
KEYWORDS:
Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Micronesians, Hepatitis B, Screening
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Gastroenterology,
Vol.8 No.6,
June
29,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: Micronesians are a rapidly growing population in Hawaii and the continental U.S. Hepatitis B is prevalent in Micronesia, but the consequences in those migrating to the U.S. are unclear. This study characterizes hepatocellular carcinoma in Micronesians with comparisons to other Pacific Islanders. Methods: A retrospective evaluation was undertaken of 40 Micronesian and 142 Non-Micronesian Pacific hepatocellular carcinoma patients diagnosed in a large clinical practice in Hawaii from 1993-2017. Results: All Micronesians were born outside of the U.S. Micronesians were younger at diagnosis (52.0 vs. 60.2 years), had higher rates of hepatitis B (80% vs. 31.2%), a family history of hepatocellular carcinoma (17.5% vs. 4.4%) and more tumors