Management of small focal liver lesions in a cirrhotic liver : Discussion

Any cirrhotic patient is at risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but especially patients with viral hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease, and hemochromatosis. More recently, it has become appar- ent that obese patients and patients with diabetes (NASH) have an increased risk for HCC. It is also clear that male patients have a 2 to 3 ?? higher risk for devel- oping HCC. Older patients (in Europe > 50 years) carry a higher risk as well, but this is probably only reflection of the duration of the disease. A slight elevation of a-FP remains a risk factor for HCC in the next years.