ETIOLOGY, SCREENING, AND TREATMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

The prognosis with large hepatocellular carcinomas is poor, and only p alliative treatment is available. Small tumors are amenable to several modes of treatment, including liver transplantation, resection, or al cohol injection, with acceptable 5-year survival rates. Although the v alue of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma has yet to be shown, th ese data, coupled with the recognition of at-risk groups and useful di agnostic techniques, might encourage the clinician to screen at-risk p atients in the clinic. New imaging techniques such as ultrasonographic angiography enhanced with CO2 microbubbles, or color Doppler ultrasou nd, may clarify the intratumoral blood flow of small tumors.