Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Best Practice and Future Direction

Area of Science:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) research
• Cancer surveillance strategies
• Gastroenterology and oncology

Background:

• Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally and rapidly increasing in the US.
• Early diagnosis significantly improves prognosis for HCC patients eligible for curative treatments like resection or transplantation.
• Current guidelines recommend biannual HCC surveillance for individuals at high risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current best practices and supporting evidence for hepatocellular cancer surveillance.
• To discuss ongoing initiatives aimed at enhancing HCC surveillance effectiveness.
• To identify future research areas for optimizing surveillance strategies and moving towards precision surveillance.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and expert society guidelines on HCC surveillance.
• Analysis of evidence supporting current surveillance recommendations.
• Discussion of emerging initiatives and future research directions in HCC surveillance.

Main Results:

• The effectiveness of current HCC surveillance protocols is debated despite guideline recommendations.
• Several initiatives are in development to improve the efficacy and personalization of HCC surveillance.
• The field is progressing towards precision surveillance, tailoring tests and intervals to individual patient risk.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing HCC surveillance is crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing cancer mortality.
• Future research should focus on personalized approaches to maximize surveillance benefits and minimize harms.
• Precision surveillance tailored to individual risk profiles holds promise for enhancing the value of HCC detection strategies.