What is a liver cancer screening?
Liver cancer screening is a preventive method of detecting cancer before symptoms begin. Identifying cancer early is often difficult because symptoms typically don’t appear until the disease is advanced. Liver cancer, which originates in or spreads to the liver from another part of the body, is especially hard to detect during a physical exam because the liver is largely blocked by the right rib cage. By the time a tumor is noticeable, it may have already grown significantly.
Your doctor may recommend screening for liver cancer based on a variety of factors including age, sex assigned at birth, family history, habits, and genetics. Regular cancer screenings help your care team assess your risk for cancer and offer the best chance to find the disease in its earliest stages when treatment is often the most successful. Penn Medicine offers a full spectrum of cancer screening, evaluation, and risk assessment options.
Liver cancer screening at Penn Medicine
Your provider may recommend liver cancer screening tests if you have frequent hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections, have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, have a genetic condition that puts you at risk, or have a family history of liver cancer.
Most screening tests are designed to assess your cancer risk but don’t diagnose cancer. If abnormalities are discovered during your screening, your provider may recommend additional liver cancer diagnostic tests like a biopsy to provide more definitive results.
If cancer is detected, you’ll be referred to a specialized gastrointestinal oncology team with expertise in liver cancer. If no cancer is found, your provider will likely suggest a regular monitoring schedule to keep track of your liver health.
Benefits of liver cancer screening
Liver cancer screening is vital for several reasons:
- Preventive measures: For those at risk, regular screening can lead to lifestyle or medical changes that may reduce the likelihood of developing liver cancer or increase the odds of identifying it at an earlier, more manageable stage.
- Improved outcomes: Early detection often leads to earlier intervention, which can improve the chances of effective treatment.
- Tailored treatment: Diagnosing liver cancer at an early stage allows for customized treatment plans that can be more effective and less aggressive, potentially reducing the need for more extensive procedures.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.