Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in high-risk populations

Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) should be implemented in the high-risk population. High-risk population includes patients with cirrhosis of any etiology, patients with chronic hepatitis B virus with or without cirrhosis, and patients with chronic hepatitis C virus with cirrhosis. A randomized controlled trial of over 18,000 high-risk individuals demonstrated that biannual screening reduced HCC-related mortality by 37%. The screening test of choice is ultrasound imaging with an interval of 6 months.