Summary of Evidence
Benefits
Harms
Note: Separate PDQ summaries on Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment and Childhood Liver Cancer Treatment are also available.
Benefits
Based on fair evidence, screening would not result in a decrease in mortality from hepatocellular cancer.
Magnitude of Effect: No reduction in mortality.
- Study Design: Randomized controlled trials.
- Internal Validity: Fair.
- Consistency: Multiple studies, large number of participants.
- External Validity: Fair.
Harms
Based on fair evidence, screening would result in rare but serious side effects associated with needle aspiration cytology such as needle-track seeding, particularly of lesions more than 2 cm in diameter, and hemorrhage, bile peritonitis, and pneumothorax. Transjugular liver biopsy is rarely associated with major complications such as perforation of the hepatic capsule or cholangitis.
Magnitude of Effect: Good evidence for uncommon but serious harms.
- Study Design: Randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
- Internal Validity: Fair.
- Consistency: Multiple studies, large number of participants.
- External Validity: Good.
Back to Top
< Previous Section | Next Section > |