Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Process Failures in Patients with Cirrhosis

Professional society guidelines recommend semiannual screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis; however, studies suggest underuse of screening in clinical practice. Our study’s aim was to characterize reasons for HCC screening underuse among patients with cirrhosis. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with cirrhosis diagnosed with HCC in two large health systems from 2011 to 2019. We classified screening receipt as consistent, inconsistent, or no screening in the year before HCC diagnosis. We categorized reasons for screening underuse as a potential failure at each of the following steps required for HCC screening: receipt of regular outpatient care, recognition of liver disease, recognition of cirrhosis, screening orders in patients with cirrhosis, and adherence to screening ultrasound appointments. Among 1,014 patients with cirrhosis with HCC, only 377 (37.2%) had regular outpatient care in the year before HCC presentation. Consistent screening was observed in 93 (24.7%) patients under regular outpatient care, whereas 161 (42.7%) had inconsistent screening and 123 (32.6%) no screening. We found screening underuse related to failures at each step in the screening process, although nearly half (49.6%) were due to lack of screening orders in patients with known cirrhosis. Conclusion: The most common reasons for HCC screening underuse in patients with cirrhosis are lack of regular outpatient care and lack of screening orders in those with known cirrhosis, highlighting the need for interventions targeted at these steps to increase HCC screening use.