Several Imaging Options Effective for Detecting Liver Cancer

A new research review from AHRQ found that several imaging modalities for diagnosing and staging hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer – the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide – appear to be reasonable options for the detection of liver cancer, the evaluation of focal liver lesions (tumors) or cancer staging. However, test performance (sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios) is lacking for small or well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. For the few studies assessing diagnostic accuracy in surveillance settings, only two directly compared imaging modalities. More research is needed to understand the effects of test performance differences on clinical decision-making and clinical outcomes, according to the findings in the review, “Imaging Tests for the Diagnosis and Staging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.”

Research Review - Final – Oct. 23, 2014

Imaging Techniques for the Diagnosis and Staging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Formats

View PDF(PDF) 4.6 MB

Help with Viewers, Players, and Plug-ins

This report is available in PDF (4.6 MB) only. People using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For additional assistance, please contact us.