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Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Liver Cancers

Abstract

Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis is recommended with the aim to reduce mortality. The evidence that supports surveillance is of low quality, and the test used, 6-monthly ultrasound scanning, has inherent limitations that reduce its efficacy. Those limitations affect both sensitivity, meaning that not all early stage cancer is diagnosed, and also specificity, leading to false-positive testing and downstream harm. The factors that limit the effectiveness of surveillance are discussed in this chapter, together with proposals to improve the outcomes for patients with cirrhosis and undergoing surveillance for HCC.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liver Unit, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, UK

    Eleanor J. Taylor & Ian A. Rowe

  2. Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ian A. Rowe

Authors
  1. Eleanor J. Taylor
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  2. Ian A. Rowe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian A. Rowe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK

    Tim Cross

  2. University of Liverpool, Liverpool Early Drug Development Unit, Liverpool, UK

    Daniel H. Palmer

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Taylor, E.J., Rowe, I.A. (2019). Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. In: Cross, T., Palmer, D. (eds) Liver Cancers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92216-4_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92216-4_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92215-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92216-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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