"Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)" Recent Advances in Diagnosis & Management

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world with an extremely poor prognosis, Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs in the setting of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis usually due to hepatitis B or hepatitis C. In Egypt, HCC was reported to account for about 4.7% of chronic liver disease patients. Early diagnosis of HCC remains a key goal in improving the prognosis. The HCC serum marker field is primed for a new generation of candidate markers that have the potential to replace its flawed leader AFP. Novel approaches involving serum proteomics and autoantibody discovery should result in the identification of new candidates in the near future. Moreover the radiological diagnosis and management of HCC has undergone significant changes in the past 10 years in Detection, characterization, staging and even potentially prediction of treatment response. Multislice computed tomography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound or Magnetic resonance imaging are nowadays of paramount importance in the workup of patients with HCC in order to determine the most appropriate therapy and the risk of tumor recurrence and overall prognosis. Moreover, substantial progress in molecular and cellular radiological imaging has been achieved in the past few years. Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles represent the first of an expanding line of magnetic resonance contrast agents that target-specific cellular processes