Dr. Laura Dawson on HCC Challenges

Laura Dawson, MD, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, talks about the challenges in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Large portions of patients with HCC present with locally advanced disease and don’t get any chance for treatment because disease is too far progressed. This is mainly due to a lack of screening for the disease, says Dawson.

Research focus should be on detection methods for early stage HCC. Those at high risk, including those with hepatitis B or C or cirrhosis, should be screened regularly for the disease.