Integrating artificial intelligence into multidisciplinary evaluations of HCC: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent primary liver cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. The heterogeneity of HCC complicates prognostic, management, and predictive strategies across different patient populations. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) offer transformative opportunities to improve HCC management. This review consolidates findings from various studies regarding integrating AI in detecting, diagnosing, and treating HCC, leveraging diverse data sources such as radiological imaging, genomics, and clinical records. AI-based approaches have shown potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of HCC screening, early detection, tumor characterization, and treatment response evaluation, surpassing traditional methods. However, the deployment of AI technologies is hindered by challenges, including data standardization, validation across multiple centers, and ethical considerations regarding AI applications. This review emphasizes the need to establish comprehensive multimodal datasets and collaborative research efforts to validate AI applications in HCC management. By addressing these challenges, the integration of AI technology has the potential to revolutionize HCC care, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and a more personalized approach to treatment strategies.