[Early diagnosis of liver cancer]

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a frequent neoplasm that usually develops in patients with liver cirrhosis. Because it is the main cause of death in these patients, they should be included in a surveillance program in order to identify these tumors at an early stage and be able to indicate curative treatment (liver transplantation, surgical resection or percutaneous ablation therapy) and to reduce mortality. Surveillance should include determination of alpha-fetoprotein and abdominal ultrasound every 6 months. This strategy should only be applied to patients suitable to receive curative treatment if diagnosed of hepatocellular carcinoma. Using this approach, 40-80% of tumors identified are solitary at diagnosis, although only half of these patients can benefit from curative treatment.