Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology
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Scand. J. Gastroenterol. · Apr 2007
Survival impact of delayed treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing locoregional therapy: is there a lead-time bias?
Many reports indicate the importance of active treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but there are few studies available that address the impact of delayed therapy on survival or take the lead-time bias into account. The objective of this study was to investigate whether patients with delayed locoregional therapy for HCC truly have a shortened survival from the time of diagnosis. ⋯ Delayed HCC treatment is linked with shortened overall survival unrelated to the lead-time bias in patients undergoing locoregional therapy. Prolonged treatment delay of more than 3 months in these patients may worsen the long-term outcome.