“Ultrasound currently forms the backbone of professional society recommendations for HCC surveillance; however, our meta-analysis highlights its suboptimal sensitivity for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma at an early stage. Using ultrasound in combination with AFP appears to significantly improve sensitivity for detecting early HCC with a small, albeit statistically significant, trade-off in specificity. There are currently insufficient data to support routine use of CT- or MRI-based surveillance in all patients with cirrhosis,” the reviewers concluded.
The National Cancer Institute and Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas provided funding. None of the reviewers had conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: Tzartzeva K et al. Gastroenterology. 2018 Feb 6. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.01.064.
