Compliance with hepatocellular carcinoma screening and the effectiveness of screening in cirrhotic patients

Year 2025, Volume: 42 Issue: 2, 152 - 158, 30.06.2025

Ümit Yavuz Keleş , Sami Fidan , Ceren Konca Seher Nazlı Kazaz , Murat Erkut , Arif Mansur Coşar

https://izlik.org/JA48WC53ND

Abstract

Current guidelines recommend that patients with cirrhosis be screened for the development of HCC every 6 months. The aim of our study was to determine whether HCC screening is performed with appropriate methods and at appropriate intervals in cirrhotic patients, and to evaluate the outcomes of the screening. This research is a retrospective cohort study. The study included patients aged 18 and over, diagnosed with Child-Pugh class A or B cirrhosis, who applied to our clinic between 2010 and 2020. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent guideline-recommended surveillance (imaging with ultrasound, CT, or MRI and/or measurement of AFP every 4-8 months) and those who did not undergo recommended surveillance (insufficient screening or no screening). These groups were compared in terms of HCC development, curative treatment, and survival. A total of 641 cirrhotic patients were included in the study. Only 146 (22.7%) patients underwent guideline-recommended HCC screening. During the follow-up period, a total of 89 patients were diagnosed with HCC (42 patients (28.8%) in the surveillance group and 47 patients (9.5%) in the nonsurveillance group, p<0.001). In the surveillance group, the rate of early-stage HCC detection (83.3% vs. 40.4%), curative treatment rate (78.4% vs. 33.3%), and median survival time (74 vs. 21.7 months) were higher compared to the nonsurveillance group (p<0.001). HCC screening rates in cirrhotic patients are quite low. Guideline-recommended HCC screening in these patients results in earlier diagnosis and increases both the likelihood of receiving curative treatment and overall survival.

Keywords

Surveillance , Screening , Hepatocellular carcinoma , Cirrhosis

Ethical Statement

The study was approved by the Karadeniz Technical University Health Application and Research Center Ethics Committee dated 14.12.2020 and numbered 48814514-501.07.01-E.14680.

Supporting Institution

NO

Thanks

I would like to thank the reviewers who contributed to the publication of our article, the editor and the secretariat of the journal.

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