Abstract: Background and purpose: China is a high incidence area of liver cancer. The latest monitoring data in Shanghai show that liver cancer is one of the most common cancers with very high disease burden. This study aimed to describe and analyze the population-based survival rates of patients with liver cancer in Shanghai. Methods: Data of liver cancer cases diagnosed between 2002 and 2006, including follow-up information and death report, were collected from Shanghai Cancer Registry. Life table and Ederer Ⅱ were used to calculate observed survival (OS) and relative survival (RS). The related demographic characteristics and status were also analyzed to reflect the survival situations of the liver cancer survivors in major areas of Shanghai. Results: In this study, 20 702 liver cancer cases were included in analysis. Five-year OS rate for liver cancer was 11.72%, whereas RS rate was 15.45%. The OS of male liver cancer patients was higher than that of female patients. Patients whose age ranged from 0-34 years had the highest survival rates than patients from other age groups. The survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was higher than that of patients with other histologic types of liver cancer. Significant difference in survival had also been found among patients with various stages of liver cancer. The survival rate of patients with stageⅠliver cancer was much higher than that of patients with stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ liver cancers. There was no significant difference in the survival of liver cancer patients between urban and rural residents. Over the past 3 decades, the 5-year OS increased dramatically in Shanghai. Conclusion: The survival of patients with liver cancer in Shanghai is improved significantly. The prognosis is poor compared with other common malignant tumors. It is necessary to strengthen the risk factors and high-risk population control and intervention in the future.

Key words: Liver cancer, Observed survival, Relative survival