Biological markers of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a rapidly fatal tumor. The only hope for a cure lies in early diagnosis. It follows that an effective screening strategy should be used in high-risk populations. Screening currently relies on tumor markers such as alfa fetoprotein (AFP) and imaging modalities. Because the AFP assay lacks sensitivity and specificity in patient with small tumors, other serum markers are being evaluated.