Achyut Saroj, Founder, Consultant, and Author at AwareOnc, KOL Engagement and Medical Affairs Liaison at Tatva Health, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“New Research on HCC Surveillance: Does adding protein biomarkers to ultrasound improve early detection?
Early diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is critical for timely curative treatment, yet current surveillance strategies remain suboptimal, with many patients still presenting at advanced stages.
A recent randomized controlled trial involving 1,208 high-risk patients (those with cirrhosis or high-risk HBV) aimed to find a better way. The study compared the standard biannual abdominal ultrasound with a combined approach using ultrasound and three serum biomarkers: AFP, AFP-L3, and DCP.
Findings: Contrary to what many might expect, the study found that adding these biomarkers to biannual ultrasound did not improve the detection rate of early stage HCC.
The detection rates between the two groups were not significantly different. Furthermore, in the biomarker group, testing for AFP-L3 alone was found to be just as effective as using all three biomarkers together.
Takeaways: The search for more effective surveillance continues. The trial authors noted that the study may not have been adequately powered to demonstrate that biomarkers (beyond the common US plus AFP approach) improve surveillance.
There is a clear need to establish and validate alternative approaches for incorporating biomarkers to truly enhance early-stage HCC detection.
How are you approaching HCC surveillance in your practice? Can a Liquid Biopsy approach help with cirrhosis cases?”
Title: Utility of Serum Biomarkers in Addition to Ultrasound for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in High-Risk Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Grishma Hirode, Hooman F. Zangneh, Orlando Cerocchi, Korosh Khalili, Lima A. El-Karim, Christopher Kandel, Mara Vecchio, Jeffrey Winick, Yasuhiro Mori, Hiroyuki Yamada, Harry L. A. Janssen, Bettina E. Hansen, Morris Sherman, Jordan J. Feld
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