Diagnosis and Evaluation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fastest growing malignancy in the USA with a steady uptrend in the incidence and its associated mortality. This poses a significant burden to public healthcare. It is essential to have efficient and accurate tools to establish a diagnosis of HCC in a timely manner. As a result of surveillance protocols for patients at high risk for HCC, diagnostic algorithms can be initiated to allow for earlier confirmation of an HCC diagnosis. This in turn ensures the timely implementation of therapeutic strategies with the ultimate goal to improve patient centered outcomes and overall survival. In this chapter we discuss the measures for HCC surveillance which opens the door to diagnostic evaluation. We detail the diagnostic tools and approach favored, staging of diagnosed HCCs, and the importance of having a multidisciplinary approach at the center of this process of diagnosis and evaluation.