Link To And Excerpts From “Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Guidelines” From Medscape

Today, I review, link to, and excerpt from Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Guidelines From Medscape.  Updated: Jan 30, 2024. Author: Luca Cicalese, MD, PhD, FACS.

All that follows is from the above resource.

Guidelines Summary

Guidelines Contributor:   Elwyn C Cabebe, MD Physician Partner, Valley Medical Oncology Consultants; Medical Director of Oncology, Clinical Liason Physician, Cancer Care Committee, Good Samaritan Hospital

Guidelines for the screening, surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been issued by the following organizations:

• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
• American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)
• European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)–European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)
• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
• American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
• International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society

Surveillance and diagnosis

In its 2018 guidelines for the management of HCC, the AASLD recommends surveillance for HCC in adults with cirrhosis, because it improves overall survival. Surveillance should be conducted with ultrasonography (US), with or without alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) testing, every 6 months. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not recommended as the primary modality for surveillance but may be used in select patients with a high likelihood of having an inadequate US or if US is attempted but inadequate.