Current and Emerging Tools for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early detection of HCC enables patients to avail curative therapies that can improve patient survival. Current international guidelines advocate for the enrollment of patients at high risk for HCC, like those with cirrhosis, in surveillance programs that perform ultrasound every 6 months. In recent years, many studies have further characterized the utility of established screening strategies and have introduced new promising tools for HCC surveillance. In this review, we provide an overview of the most promising new imaging modalities and biomarkers for the detection of HCC. We discuss the role of imaging tools like ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the early detection of HCC, and describe recent innovations which can potentially enhance their applicability, including contrast enhanced ultrasound, low-dose CT scans, and abbreviated MRI. Next, we outline the data supporting the use of three circulating biomarkers (i.e., alpha-fetoprotein [AFP], AFP lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction, and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin) in HCC surveillance, and expand on multiple emerging liquid biopsy biomarkers, including methylated cell-free DNA (cfDNA), cfDNA mutations, extracellular vesicles, and circulating tumor cells. These promising new imaging modalities and biomarkers have the potential to improve early detection, and thus improve survival, in patients with HCC.