Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Differentiating primary HCC from metastatic liver tumors remains a significant diagnostic challenge. Understanding the prevalence and clinical predictors of HCC is crucial for improving diagnosis and patient care. This study examined the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HCC, and clinical predictors of HCC.

Methods We used immunohistochemical markers on archived liver tumor biopsies and analyzed the data using descriptive and logistic regression analysis.

Results Among 58 liver carcinoma cases, 37.9% had HCC, and 62% had metastatic liver carcinoma (MLC). HCC was most common (61.5%) among middle-aged adults (50–59 years). HCC was more frequent in males (47.2%) than in females (22.7%). Over half of the patients (51.7%) tested positive for HBV. HCC was more prevalent in HBV-positive patients than HBV-negative ones (43.3% vs 32.1%). Hepatic fibrosis was identified in 27.6% of cases. HCC was more common in patients with fibrosis (56.2%) than in those without (31%). HCV infection was rare (6.9%) in this study. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, none of the examined predictors reached statistical significance (P>0.05). Patients aged 50–59 years, males, those with HBV infection, and hepatic fibrosis showed higher odds of HCC. Hepatocyte Paraffin-1 (Hep Par-1) demonstrated 97% specificity and a 95% positive predictive value (PPV) for differentiating HCC from MLC. The combined marker pattern of Hep Par-1 positive and AE1/AE3 negative was highly predictive of HCC (100% specificity, 100% PPV, and 93.2% diagnostic accuracy).

Conclusions Our findings indicate that while the assessed risk factors tend to show directional association with HCC, as expected, larger studies are needed to determine their independent effects. The combined Hep Par-1 AE1/AE3 immunophenotype is more accurate than either marker alone. Therefore, this combined test is a valuable diagnostic tool for confirming HCC in resource-limited settings.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the CGHSR UMN for supporting this study

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Ethics committee of Mount Kenya University gave ethical approval for this work.

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