Insights From: Richard S. Finn, MD, Geffen School of Medicine; Arndt Vogel, MD, Hannover Medical School
Published Online: Monday, Oct 31, 2016
Hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, is a very complex disease. Unlike a lot of malignancies that we treat, it almost always, 90% of the time, occurs in the presence of underlying liver disease, some degree of cirrhosis. The most common causes being hepatitis C, hepatitis B, alcohol use, and now, increasingly, the metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Because of these two diseases, there’s a competing risk for outcomes, both outcomes from liver disease and outcomes from a malignancy. And, therefore, its approach really requires, what we term, a “multidisciplinary team. “
Hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, is a very complex disease. Unlike a lot of malignancies that we treat, it almost always, 90% of the time, occurs in the presence of underlying liver disease, some degree of cirrhosis. The most common causes being hepatitis C, hepatitis B, alcohol use, and now, increasingly, the metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Because of these two diseases, there’s a competing risk for outcomes, both outcomes from liver disease and outcomes from a malignancy. And, therefore, its approach really requires, what we term, a “multidisciplinary team. “
No comments:
Post a Comment