General Screening Recommendations
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) has issued the following screening recommendations for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC):
- Patients at high risk for developing liver cancer should enter into screening programs
- Patients on the liver transplant waiting list should be screened for liver cancer for two reasons:
- In the United States, people who develop liver cancer are given increased priority for liver transplants
- Failure to screen could result in patients developing liver cancer that progresses beyond the acceptable criteria for a liver transplant
- Screening for liver cancer should be performed using ultrasound imaging
- The alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) blood test is not sensitive or specific enough to be used alone for screening or diagnosis of liver cancer
- Patients should be screened at 6 month intervals if they have chronic hepatitis B or C infections