Recent Advances in Clinical Practice
Background
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a major health concern:
1. Over 700,000 cases are diagnosed annually
2. One of the leading causes of cancer-related death
3. Main event leading ot deaeth in patients with cirrhosis
Risk Factors:
1. HBV
2. HCV
3. Alcohol-related cirrhosis
4. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
5. Smoking
6. Metabolic syndromes?
7. Coffee may diminish risk
Molecular Events: What Have We Learned?
Expectations from the biomedical community for genetic studies:
1. Easily risk-stratify patients
A. Risk for developing HCC
B. Risk for HCC recurrence following "curative: therapy
C. Disease prognostication for existing HCC
2. Identify common and dominant oncogenic pathways
A. Carcinogenesis
B. Invasion and metastases
3. Institute targeted and curative therapies using a personalised medicine approach
