Stratified screening of hepatocellular carcinoma in high-risk populations

The worldwide prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is substantially increasing. Approximately 50% of all cases occur in China. However, more than 85% of cases are diagnosed at an advanced disease stage, thus missing the effective treatment window. Currently, the 5-year survival rate for HCC patients is less than 15%. Despite the use of new therapeutic strategies for HCC in clinical practice. The metabolic syndromes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are to be considered as new HCC high-risk-population. Furthermore, liver cirrhosis patients with HBV mutations or with cirrhotic nodules are regarded as HCC extremely high-risk populations. This mini-review provides an overview of HCC new high-risk populations and of stratified screening strategies that are based on the latest clinical studies.