No Association Between Screening for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Reduced Cancer-Related Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Screening patients with cirrhosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been recommended. We conducted a matched case-control study within the US Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system to determine whether screening by abdominal ultrasonography (USS) and/or by measuring serum level of α-fetoprotein (AFP) was associated with decreased cancer-related mortality in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods

We defined cases (n = 238) as patients with cirrhosis who died of HCC from January 1, 2013 through August 31, 2015 and had been in VA care with a diagnosis of cirrhosis for at least 4 years before the diagnosis of HCC. We matched each case to 1 control (n = 238), defined as a patient with cirrhosis who did not die of HCC and had been in VA care for at least 4 years

SUBMITTER: Moon AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6180323 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature