About this course

HCC surveillance of at-risk patients leads to early detection of HCC and improves overall survival rate. Currently, a combination of liver ultrasound and measurement of serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) is the recommended strategy in HCC surveillance but the specificity and sensitivity of these modalities in detecting HCC remains suboptimal. Therefore, a new modality is required to improve the performance of HCC surveillance.

PIVKA-II is a potential screening biomarker for HCC. In this presentation, Professor Henry Chan presents an overview of the clinical utility of PIVKA-II in HCC surveillance and highlights experts’ recommendation on the use of this modality in Hong Kong.

Learning outcomes

• Identify risk factors that necessitate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance and the importance of early detection
• Recognise the limitations of current strategies used in HCC surveillance
• Understand the role of protein induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) in HCC diagnosis
• Gain insights into an experts’ consensus on the use of PIVKA-II in the region

Topics covered

• Overview of HCC surveillance
• Limitations of current modalities used for HCC surveillance
• Overview of PIVKA-II
• Experts’ consensus on the clinical utility of PIVKA-II
• Improving sensitivity for detection of HCC with PIVKA-II
• PIVKA-II in HCC with tumour size ≤2 cm, alpha-fetoprotein-negative HCC, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-HCC, and alcoholic liver disease-HCC

Organised by:

Supported by:

MAPP-NP-2023-Jun-001