Open AccessOverdiagnosis: An Understudied Issue in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance
Author(s) -
Nicole E. Rich,
Neehar D. Parikh,
Amit G. Singal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
seminars in liver disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.874
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1098-8971
pISSN - 0272-8087
DOI - 10.1055/s-0037-1608775
Subject(s) - overdiagnosis , medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , cirrhosis , population , intensive care medicine , disease , environmental health
Overdiagnosis, the detection of clinically insignificant disease that would not otherwise impact the patient's lifespan, is a phenomenon that has been described in several solid tumors, such as prostate, breast, thyroid, and lung cancers. Population-based efforts to reduce hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mortality in cirrhosis patients by screening and early detection may result in the overdiagnosis of HCC. One of the harms of overdiagnosis is subsequent overtreatment, which can result in increased costs, as well as physical side effects, psychological harms, and poorer quality of life. In this review, the authors explore the potential for overdiagnosis in HCC.