Despite significant progress in treatment and an expanding armamentarium of therapies, liver cancer remains the third-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.
Advances in HCC Treatment: Optimizing Care for Veterans from Diagnosis On
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most lethal cancers worldwide and an urgent concern within the VA. The disease’s landscape has shifted markedly in recent years with significant changes in etiology as well as rapid expansion of treatment options.
HBV Patients With Diabetes at High Risk of HCC, Other Outcomes
Chronic hepatitis B patients who have two or more metabolic diseases have a significantly higher risk of cirrhosis, overall death and non-liver-related death
Mailed Outreach for HCC Screening Is Cost-Effective
Mailed outreach significantly increased screening vs. visit-based screening in patients with cirrhosis who are at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Surveys: Better HCC Surveillance Seen as Key to Improved Survival Rates
PALO ALTO, CA — Recent surveys found important gaps in knowledge and perceived barriers to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in cirrhosis patients in the United States, especially with primary care providers. Even though hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)...
Agent Orange Exposure Not Linked to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
U.S. veterans are much more likely to be diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, but at least one toxic exposure during military service doesn’t appear to have much to do with that.
Indeterminate Liver Nodules Have a High but Variable Risk of HCC
DALLAS – For more than a decade, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has been used to standardize the interpretation and reporting of liver lesions in patients at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, predicting what happens with...
Agent Orange Exposure Not Linked to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
LOS ANGELES -- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and related mortality are on the rise. A recent study sought to determine if Agent Orange exposure is one of the factors affecting veterans. “Viral hepatitis and alcohol are leading risk factors; however, other risk...
Surveys: Better HCC Surveillance Seen as Key to Improved Survival Rates
PALO ALTO, CA -- Even though hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in associated with improved survival, screening of cirrhosis patients is suboptimal, especially in primary care settings, according to recent surveys. A recent study in JAMA Network Open argued...
HCC Tumor Recurrence After Radiologic Responses
How often does local recurrence occur in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who undergo selective transarterial radioembolisation (TARE) or transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) and achieve a complete response (CR) radiologically?
Biomarkers Help Predict Which Cirrhosis Patients Develop HCC
It can be difficult to determine which patients with cirrhosis will go on to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
VA Researchers Spotlight Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Liver Cancer Care
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer, is the fastest-growing cause of cancer-related death in the United States. But a new study points out that the burden of the often deadly cancer is not spread equally.
HCC, Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Cases Increase Dramatically in US
The incidence and mortality trends of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer in the United States had a dramatic increase from 1975 to 2017, according to data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment, Survival Varies Among VA Regions
Veterans have higher rates of cirrhosis, hepatitis C infection, obesity, high alcohol use and diabetes—all of which put them at greater risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment is challenging, and a new study found that it tends to be inconsistent across regions within VA healthcare, with the West providing more interventions and having longer survival.
VA’s Equal Access Care Mitigates Disparities in HCC Treatment, Outcomes
Rising rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have focused attention on improving all aspects of the malignancy, from new methods of screening, earlier detection, more efficacious treatment, and extended survival. At the same time, the increased number of cases has made differences in access and outcomes more apparent.
Advanced Liver Fibrosis Increases Risk of HCC Diagnosis
While it is well-understood that both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection commonly result in hepatic fibrosis and might lead to cirrhosis, it has not been clear whether advanced fibrosis, determined by measurements of liver stiffness, increases the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in veterans.
Native Americans Diagnosed With More Severe HCC
Native Americans are among the racial/ethnic groups who are more likely to be diagnosed with more-severe hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to a new study.
HCC Surveillance Rebounded at VA, Still Low
How did the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance and factors associated with completion at the VA?
Study Finds Significant Regional Variations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Survival Rates Within Nationwide VA Healthcare System
Veteran populations have five times the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)—the most common primary malignancy of the liver, which occurs largely in patients with underlying chronic liver disease—compared to the general population
AMA-Negative Cholangitis Patients Have Similar Outcomes
Patients diagnosed with antimitochondrial antibody (AMA)-negative primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have clinical and histopathological findings consistent with PBC but without positive AMA.
Why Diabetes Patients With NAFLD Have Higher HCC Risk
While it is recognized that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who also have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have a high risk of progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. Exactly what causes the higher risks remain unclear, however, according to a new study.
Biomarkers Signal Risks for HCC in Cirrhosis Patients
For a patient with cirrhosis, the five-year risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly lethal cancer with a significant increasing incidence and mortality, might be as high as 30%.
Military, Veterans More Likely to Be Screened for Many Types of Cancer
While some cancer diagnoses are disproportionately high among VA patients, the cause does not appear to be inadequate screening, according to a new study.
Risk of Acute Liver Injury Found to Be Low With Hepatitis C ‘Cure’
More than 5% of U.S. veterans are infected with chronic hepatitis C (HCV)—roughly triple the rate of the general population, with the percentage, 10%, even higher among those born between 1945 and 1965.
Study Describes the Success of the VA’s Hepatic Innovation Team Collaborative
Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver diseases including cirrhosis and liver cancer—particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, which accounts for about 90% of all liver cancer cases.
NAFLD Is Dramatically Growing as a Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The worldwide prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma is expected to increase in line with the growing obesity epidemic.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis Delays Common for Veterans With Cirrhosis
What factors are behind delays in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in veterans who have cirrhosis of the liver?
Surveillance, Barriers to Care Key to Federal Medicine Fight Against HCC
Mortality rates from most cancers have declined in recent years, but deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma continue to climb. Both the VA and the DoD are moving aggressively to detect and treat liver disease before it progresses to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to quickly identify patients who have developed this devastating disease.
New Guidelines Expand Screening for Liver Cancer in NAFLD
The American Gastroenterological Association recently updated its clinical practice guidelines to recommend screening for all patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
HCV ‘Cure’ Doesn’t Eliminate Liver Cancer But Might Reduce Mortality
DALLAS – Use of direct-acting antiviral therapy to essentially cure hepatitis C virus does not completely eliminate the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, but recent studies suggest it can significantly reduce mortality rates. The 15% to 20% of HCV patients...