Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Michael J. Kelley
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Letters16 August 2011Surveillance for Hepatocellular CarcinomaMichael J. Kelley, MDMichael J. Kelley, MDFrom Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-155-4-201108160-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In their article, Davila and colleagues (1) examined administrative data in the Veterans Health Administration and observed low rates of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients during the first 4 years after cirrhosis diagnosis. They concluded that new strategies are needed to improve the implementation of HCC surveillance in clinical practice.No randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) support screening for HCC among persons with hepatitis C virus infection and cirrhosis. Neither the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force nor the National Cancer Institute has recommended such screening, and the Veterans Health Administration has not adopted a practice guideline ...References1. Davila JA, Henderson L, Kramer JR, Kanwal F, Richardson PA, Duan Z, et al. Utilization of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma among hepatitis C virus-infected veterans in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:85-93. [PMID: 21242365] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Zhang BH, Yang BH, Tang ZY. Randomized controlled trial of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2004;130:417-22. [PMID: 15042359] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Chen JG, Parkin DM, Chen QG, Lu JH, Shen QJ, Zhang BC, et al. Screening for liver cancer: results of a randomised controlled trial in Qidong, China. J Med Screen. 2003;10:204-9. [PMID: 14738659] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Malm HM. Medical screening and the value of early detection. When unwarranted faith leads to unethical recommendations. Hastings Cent Rep. 1999;29:26-37. [PMID: 10052009] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Michael J. Kelley, MDAffiliations: From Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoUtilization of Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Among Hepatitis C Virus–Infected Veterans in the United States Jessica A. Davila , Louise Henderson , Jennifer R. Kramer , Fasiha Kanwal , Peter A. Richardson , Zhigang Duan , and Hashem B. El-Serag Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Alain Braillon Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Steven H. Smoger Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Jessica A. Davila and Hashem B. El-Serag Metrics Cited byNo Association Between Screening for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Reduced Cancer-Related Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis 16 August 2011Volume 155, Issue 4Page: 274KeywordsCirrhosisHepatitis BHepatitis C virusHepatocellular carcinomaInfectious hepatitisMortalityOdds ratioScreening guidelinesVeteran care ePublished: 16 August 2011 Issue Published: 16 August 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...