We found ultrasound alone has a low sensitivity to detect early stage HCC in patients with cirrhosis. Addition of AFP to ultrasound significantly increases sensitivity of early HCC detection in clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo describe liver disease related mortality in the United States during 1999-2016 by age group, sex, race, cause of liver disease, and geographic region.DesignObservational cohort study.SettingDeath certificate data from the Vital Statistics Cooperative, and population data from the US Census Bureau compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (1999-2016).ParticipantsUS residents.Main outcome measureDeaths from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, with trends evaluated using joinpoint regression.ResultsFrom 1999 to 2016 in the US annual deaths from cirrhosis increased by 65%, to 34 174, while annual deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma doubled to 11 073. Only one subgroup—Asians and Pacific Islanders—experienced an improvement in mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma: the death rate decreased by 2.7% (95% confidence interval 2.2% to 3.3%, P<0.001) per year. Annual increases in cirrhosis related mortality were most pronounced for Native Americans (designated as “American Indians” in the census database) (4.0%, 2.2% to 5.7%, P=0.002). The age adjusted death rate due to hepatocellular carcinoma increased annually by 2.1% (1.9% to 2.3%, P<0.001); deaths due to cirrhosis began increasing in 2009 through 2016 by 3.4% (3.1% to 3.8%, P<0.001). During 2009-16 people aged 25-34 years experienced the highest average annual increase in cirrhosis related mortality (10.5%, 8.9% to 12.2%, P<0.001), driven entirely by alcohol related liver disease. During this period, mortality due to peritonitis and sepsis in the setting of cirrhosis increased substantially, with respective annual increases of 6.1% (3.9% to 8.2%) and 7.1% (6.1% to 8.4%). Only one state, Maryland, showed improvements in mortality (−1.2%, −1.7% to −0.7% per year), while many, concentrated in the south and west, observed disproportionate annual increases: Kentucky 6.8% (5.1% to 8.5%), New Mexico 6.0% (4.1% to 7.9%), Arkansas 5.7% (3.9% to 7.6%), Indiana 5.0% (3.8% to 6.1%), and Alabama 5.0% (3.2% to 6.8%). No state showed improvements in hepatocellular carcinoma related mortality, while Arizona (5.1%, 3.7% to 6.5%) and Kansas (4.3%, 2.8% to 5.8%) experienced the most severe annual increases.ConclusionsMortality due to cirrhosis has been increasing in the US since 2009. Driven by deaths due to alcoholic cirrhosis, people aged 25-34 have experienced the greatest relative increase in mortality. White Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans experienced the greatest increase in deaths from cirrhosis. Mortality due to cirrhosis is improving in Maryland but worst in Kentucky, New Mexico, and Arkansas. The rapid increase in death rates among young people due to alcohol highlight new challenges for optimal care of patients with preventable liver disease.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis, we found significant racial and ethnic disparities in NAFLD prevalence and severity in the United States, with the highest burden in Hispanics and lowest burden in Blacks. However, data are discordant on racial or ethnic differences in outcomes of patients with NAFLD.

SUMMARY BackgroundAbdominal ultrasound fails to detect over one-fourth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at an early stage in patients with cirrhosis. Identifying patients in whom ultrasound is of inadequate quality can inform interventions to improve surveillance effectiveness.

Over one fourth of patients with cirrhosis experience physical harm for false-positive or indeterminate surveillance tests-more often related to ultrasound than AFP. Interventions are needed to reduce surveillance-related harm to increase the value of HCC screening programs in clinical practice. (Hepatology 2017;65:1196-1205).

TXDownstaging can facilitate liver transplantation (LT) for patients outside of Milan criteria with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the optimal protocol and downstaging outcomes are poorly defined. We aimed to characterize rates of successful downstaging to within Milan criteria and post-LT recurrence and survival among patients who underwent downstaging. We performed a systematic literature review using the MEDLINE and Embase databases from January 1996 through March 2015 and a search of national meeting abstracts from 2010 to 2014. Rates of downstaging success (defined as a decrease of tumor burden to within Milan) and post-LT recurrence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Prespecified subgroup analyses were conducted by treatment modality, study design, and patient characteristics. Thirteen studies (n 5 950 patients) evaluating downstaging success had a pooled success rate of 0.48 (95% CI, 0.39-0.58%). In subgroup analyses, there was no significant difference comparing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus transarterial radioembolization (TARE; P 5 0.51), but there were higher success rates in prospective versus retrospective studies (0.68 versus 0.44; P < 0.001). The 12 studies (n 5 320 patients) evaluating post-LT HCC recurrence had a pooled recurrence rate of 0.16 (95% CI, 0.11-0.23). There was no significant difference in recurrence rates between TACE and TARE (P 5 0.33). Post-LT survival could not be aggregated because of heterogeneity in survival data reporting. Current data have heterogeneity in baseline tumor burden, waiting time, downstaging protocols, and treatment response assessments. There are also notable limitations including inconsistent reporting of inclusion criteria, downstaging protocols, and outcome assessment criteria. In conclusion, the success rate of downstaging HCC to within Milan criteria exceeds 40%; however, posttransplant HCC recurrence rates are high at 16%. Downstaging protocols for HCC should be systematically studied and See Editorial on Page 1117Liver transplantation (LT) is a lifesaving and curative treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LT has been shown to provide the best longAdditional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article.

In a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with HCC, we found racial/ethnic differences in outcomes of HCC to be associated with differences in detection of tumors at early stages and receipt of curative treatment. These factors are intervention targets for improving patient outcomes and reducing disparities.

Background and Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is associated with early tumor detection and improved survival; however, it is often underused in clinical practice. We aimed to characterize surveillance use among patients with cirrhosis and the efficacy of interventions to increase surveillance. Approach and Results We performed a systematic literature review using the MEDLINE database from January 2010 through August 2018 to identify cohort studies evaluating HCC surveillance receipt or interventions to increase surveillance in patients with cirrhosis. A pooled estimate for surveillance receipt with 95% confidence intervals was calculated. Correlates of surveillance use were defined from each study and prespecified subgroup analyses. Twenty‐nine studies, with a total of 118,799 patients, met inclusion criteria, with a pooled estimate for surveillance use of 24.0% (95% confidence interval, 18.4‐30.1). In subgroup analyses, the highest surveillance receipt was reported in studies with patients enrolled from subspecialty gastroenterology/hepatology clinics and lowest in studies characterizing surveillance in population‐based cohorts (73.7% versus 8.8%, P < 0.001). Commonly reported correlates of surveillance included higher receipt among patients followed by subspecialists and lower receipt among those with alcohol‐associated or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)–related cirrhosis. All eight studies (n = 5,229) evaluating interventions including patient/provider education, inreach (e.g., reminder and recall systems), and population health outreach strategies reported significant increases (range 9.4%‐63.6%) in surveillance receipt. Conclusions HCC surveillance remains underused in clinical practice, particularly among patients with alcohol‐associated or NASH‐related cirrhosis and those not followed in subspecialty gastroenterology clinics. Interventions such as provider education, inreach including reminder systems, and population health outreach efforts can significantly increase HCC surveillance.