The Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Iran from 1996 to 2016: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer (LC) is one of most important cancer around the world. There are several reports about LC incidence from various Iranian locations with conflicting results. The present study aimed to accomplish a systematic review to estimate the accurate incidence rate of LC among Iranian people.

METHODS: This systematic review was performed based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist in 2018. A literature search was conducted using international databases (Medline/PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar) for English papers and national databases (Scientific Information Database, MagIran, IranMedex, and IranDoc) for Persian papers which estimated incidence rate of LC in any geographical area of Iran. The incidence rate of LC was calculated using random effect model.

RESULTS: Of 171 papers in the primary searches, 15 studies were included by advanced screening and refinement. The age-standardized rate (ASR) of LC was 1.66 (95% CI 1.49-1.83) for males and 1.25 (95% CI 1.12-1.38) for females.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate of LC in Iran was lower in comparison to other countries. Afterwards, more studies are necessary to outline the accurate incidence rate and the trend of LC among Iranian population.