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.【研究目的】肝癌已成为日益严峻的全球公共卫生问题。超声检查是目前广泛应用于肝癌早期诊断的影像学手段。然而，超声监测（ultrasonography surveillance, US）对肝癌患者生存期的影响尚不明确。因此，本研究旨在探讨肝癌确诊前2年内超声检查频次与患者生存期之间的关联。 【研究方法】本研究为基于人群的纵向队列研究，在肝癌高发地区中国台湾地区开展，数据来源于全民健康保险研究数据库（National Health Insurance Research Database）。我们将肝癌确诊前2年内接受超声检查≥3次的患者纳入≥3次组，接受次数<3次者纳入<3次组，比较两组患者的生存期差异，并筛选出与接受≥3次超声检查相关的预测因素。 【研究结果】本研究共纳入1997年至2010年间死亡的4621例肝癌患者。≥3次组患者的中位生存期（1.42年）显著长于<3次组（0.51年）；≥3次组的5年生存率（14.4%）亦显著高于<3次组（7.7%）。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示，与接受≥3次超声检查相关的最常见正向预测因素为病毒性肝炎指征、胆囊疾病指征及肾-泌尿道疾病指征；而与之相关的最常见负向预测因素为男性性别及腹痛指征。 【研究结论】肝癌确诊前2年内接受≥3次超声检查的患者，其5年生存率更高。