Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1422: Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Universal or Selective?

Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1422: Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Universal or Selective? Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12061422 Authors: Plaz Torres Bodini Furnari Marabotto Zentilin Strazzabosco Giannini Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent primary liver cancer, is the sixth most common cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and accounts globally for about 800,000 deaths/year. Early detection of HCC is of pivotal importance as it is associated with improved survival and the ability to apply curative treatments. Chronic liver diseases, and in particular cirrhosis, are the main risk factors for HCC, but the etiology of liver disease is rapidly changing due to improvements in the prevention and treatment of HBV (Hepatitis B virus) and HCV (Hepatitis C virus) infections and to the rising incidence of the metabolic syndrome, of which non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is a manifestation. NAFLD is now a recognized and rapidly increasing cause of cirrhosis and HCC. Indeed, the most recent guidelines for NAFLD management recommend screening for HCC in patients with established cirrhosis. Screening in NAFLD patients without cirrhosis is not recommended; however, the prevalence of HCC in this group of NAFLD patients has been reported to be as high as 38%, a proportion significantly higher than the one observed in the general population and in non-cirrhotic subj...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research