Editor's note: The Combined GlHep&SHC 2024 was recently held in Singapore. This conference brings together elite scholars in the field of liver disease from around the world to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in liver disease. Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, accounting for 90% of all liver cancers. During the conference, our magazine invited Dr Ken Liu from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia to conduct an exclusive interview on HCC related issues.

Hepatology Digest: At this conference, we have seen a variety of research content. Which areas have you focused on, and what motivated your interest in these topics?

Dr. Ken Liu: My research interest lies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a type of liver cancer prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region. I am particularly drawn to talks and sessions on this subject. One of the emerging issues we are facing is the increase in fatty liver disease leading to HCC in this region. This is becoming a significant problem. Surveillance for HCC in patients without cirrhosis poses a considerable challenge, so I found the discussions on this topic quite engaging.

Hepatology Digest: Given that this is a challenging area, have there been any new findings or innovative technologies presented at this conference regarding HCC surveillance?

Dr. Ken Liu: Yes, I recently gave a talk on the challenges and barriers in HCC surveillance. One of the primary issues is that, although we have decent surveillance tools, they are not being utilized effectively. I discussed patient barriers and potential solutions to enhance the usage of these tools. Currently, we rely heavily on ultrasound for surveillance, but it has limitations. For instance, in 20%-30% of cases, the ultrasound visualization is not clear. An innovative tool we might use in the future is abbreviated MRI, which can detect early HCC when ultrasound is inadequate.

Additionally, I believe the future lies in using blood-based biomarkers, which people can easily test with a blood sample, possibly at home. Even if these biomarkers are not as effective as ultrasound plus AFP, increasing their utility can help detect HCC early and save more lives.