Diagnosing Liver Cancer

Liver Cancer Prevention

Liver cancer prevention is an area of great promise but limited present day impact. We do now have a Hepatitis B vaccine that is used in the Western world to limit the numbers of people with Hepatitis B. Therefore the incidence of HCC’s associated with HBV infection should decrease in coming years. Unfortunately we do not now have a Hepatitis C vaccine, but work proceeds in the basic science community that should eventually in the next years to decade give us this much needed vaccine. Prevention of colon and rectal cancers also depends on advances at the scientific bench that will ultimately convert to patient bedside benefit. The fund of knowledge that the basic scientist draws on is mounting almost exponentially, it seems to me. I continue to be excited about the hope for future liver cancer prevention and care. However, I do not know if prevention will be a reality during my career or even my lifetime. In the meantime I believe that we can make a big impact by appropriate implementation of regional screening programs for patient populations at high risk for colon and rectal cancer and for liver cancer.

Read about the advances in liver cancer research that may lead to prevention in the future.

To learn more about liver cancer treatment and prevention, contact my office.