Impact Of Population Center (Pc) Size On Access To Care In Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hcc)

489 Background: To evaluate access to subspecialists, local therapies, treatment at a specialized HCC center, and survival in advanced HCC patients (pts) based on geographical distribution. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on HCC pts who received sorafenib in British Columbia from 2008 to 2016. Pts were stratified by Statistics Canada PC size criteria: large urban PC (LUPC), medium urban PC (MUPC), and small urban PC (SUPC). Chi-square tests and Kaplan Meier were used to analyze the groups. Results: Of 288 pts, geographical distribution was: LUPC 75%, MUPC 16%, SUPC 8%, and rural 0.3%. Age, gender, and ECOG performance status were similar; a higher proportion of Asians (50 vs 9 vs 4%), Child Pugh A (93 vs 83 vs 83%), and hepatitis B (37 vs 15 vs 4%) was observed in LUPC vs MUPC and SUPC, respectively. SUPC pts were less likely to see a hepatologist (p=0.04, Table); access to other subspecialists was similar. Pts from LUPC were more likely to have transarterial chemoembolization compared to MUPC and SUPC (38 vs 20 vs 21%; p=0.04); receipt of other local therapies was similar. Sixty percent were treated at a specialized HCC center and were more likely to see a hepatologist (83 vs 19%), hepatobiliary surgeon (57 vs 42%), and/or interventional radiologist (32 vs 13%) (all p<0.01). Median OS was higher for pts treated at a HCC center (24.7 vs 13.2 mo, p<0.01), but similar when stratified by PC size (overall mOS 19.3 mo, p=0.59). Conclusions: Geography did not significantly impact access to care or survival, but pts treated at a specialized HCC center have improved survival. Further research is needed to better understand social and clinical factors that influence these findings. [Table: see text]