Early Diagnosis, Screening and Prevention

Liver cancer is more common in people who have serious liver damage, but finding it early means it can often be cured. Doctors use regular checks called surveillance to help find cancer early.

Most people with cirrhosis or long-term hepatitis B infection will be offered a clinical check-up every 6 months. These check-ups help your clinical team look after your liver health as well as giving any treatment you need such as anti-viral therapy for hepatitis B. And they normally include surveillance checks that look for signs of liver cancer.

Because these checks aim to find liver cancer as soon as possible, it’s important to take part every time. Even if you feel okay.

The East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA) is supporting Liver Services to invite >80% of patients with cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis to 6-monthly ultrasound surveillance and support >60% of those invited to attend.

We are working with our Upper GI Pathway Group, a clinically led multi-disciplinary (including patient/lay representation), multi-agency group leading transformation across the whole breadth of UGI cancer.

The current Liver Surveillance Digital Task and Finish Group will ensure all providers have resources to continue their work to introduce and develop call/recall and manage patients on surveillance registers. EMCA and its providers have made progress on collecting data and implementing systems for call/recall and to manage patients within systems of liver surveillance registers.