Wenzhan Jing

All Publications

• Temporal trends and racial/ethnic disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in the US between 2000-2022. JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology Jing, W., Pham, H., So, S. 2026; 8 (4): 101754

  Abstract

  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the US is largely driven by chronic hepatitis B in non-Hispanic Asians/Pacific Islanders (NH API) and chronic hepatitis C and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in other racial/ethnic groups. We examined temporal trends and racial/ethnic disparities in HCC incidence in the US.The SEER-21 database (1 January 2000-31 December 2022) was used to identify adults aged ≥30 years diagnosed with HCC. Annual percentage changes (APC) in HCC incidence were estimated using Joinpoint regression.A total of 223,571 incident HCC cases were analyzed. The number of incident HCC cases increased from 4,758 in 2000 to a peak of 13,109 cases in 2019, followed by a decline to 11,853 cases in 2022, representing a 150% increase compared with 2000. Age-adjusted HCC incidence rates (AAIR) increased from 6.8 to a plateau of 12.4/100,000 in 2014 (APC2000-2007 = 5.6, APC2007-2014 = 3.2; p <0.05), before declining after 2019 to 10.5/100,000 by 2022 (APC2019-2022 = -3.9, p <0.05), remaining 54% higher than in 2000. NH API with the highest AAIR in 2000 (18.9/100,000), showed the earliest decline beginning in 2007 (APC2007-2015 = -1.8, APC2015-2022 = -4.8; p <0.05), nearly a decade before the other groups. AAIR began declining in NH Black and NH American Indian/Alaska Native populations in 2016, decreasing by 5.7% and 5.0% annually, respectively (p <0.05), and in 2019 in Hispanic and NH White, decreasing by 4.4% and 3.6% annually, respectively (p <0.05).HCC incidence trends varied by race/ethnicity. Declines may be partly associated with national hepatitis screening and treatment initiatives and professional guidelines, emphasizing continued efforts to address both viral and non-viral causes.Early declines among non-Hispanic Asians/Pacific Islanders likely reflect increased treatment for chronic hepatitis B, while later declines among the whole population were likely the result of national initiatives to scale up curative hepatitis C treatment. The high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Hispanic individuals warrants further studies and targeted interventions, including efforts to increase hepatitis C treatment access and reduce metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. These findings are important for clinicians and policymakers addressing HCC disparities and show that increased national initiatives to improve the diagnosis and treatment of chronic viral hepatitis are associated with a declining trend in HCC incidence at the population level.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jhepr.2026.101754

  View details for PubMedID 41830878