People at high risk for liver cancer need regular screening, which allows for early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment of liver cancer and improves treatment outcomes.
People at high risk for liver cancer include those with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV), chronic alcohol abuse, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, aflatoxin-contaminated food, cirrhosis of the liver from various causes, and a family history of liver cancer. Men aged 40 years or older should be more alert to the risk of developing the disease.
People at risk for liver cancer should be aware that serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, a glycoprotein secreted by naive or newborn hepatocytes, is the most specific and widely used serum marker to screen for and diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma) and liver ultrasound should be performed at least every 6 months, and if liver ultrasound reveals problems, dynamic enhanced CT and/or MRI scans must be performed. If the patient shows positive ultrasound or serum AFP, the physician may recommend dynamic-enhanced multiphasic CT and/or MRI scans of the abdomen and, if necessary, hepatic angiography (DSA).