Data from: Effect of ultrasonography surveillance in patients with liver cancer: a population-based longitudinal study

Objective Liver cancer is a growing global public health problem.
Ultrasonography is an imaging tool widely used for the early diagnosis of
liver cancer. However, the effect of ultrasonography surveillance (US) on
the survival of patients with liver cancer is unknown. Therefore, this
study examined the association between survival and US frequency during
the 2 years preceding patients’ liver cancer diagnosis. Methods This
population-based longitudinal study was conducted in Taiwan, a region with
high liver cancer incidence, by using the National Health Insurance
Research Database. We compared survival between patients who received US
three times or more (≥3 group) and less than three times (<3 group)
during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer diagnosis, and identified
the predictors for the ≥3 group. Results This study enrolled 4621 patients
with liver cancer who had died between 1997 and 2010. The median survival
rate was higher in the ≥3 group (1.42 years) than in the <3 group
(0.51 years). Five-year survival probability was also significantly higher
in the ≥3 group (14.4%) than in the <3 group (7.7%). The
multivariate logistic regression results showed that the three most common
positive predictors for receiving three or more US sessions were
indications of viral hepatitis, gallbladder diseases, and
kidney–urinary–bladder diseases; the most common negative predictors for
receiving three or more US sessions were male sex and indications of
abdominal pain. Conclusion Patients with liver cancer who received US
three times or more during the 2 years preceding their liver cancer
diagnosis exhibited a higher 5-year survival probability.