EM1801E “Turning the Tide on the Liver Cancer Epidemic in Texas” (IM GR-011218)
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although it has a lower incidence in the United States, its incidence is increasing due to a high burden of advanced hepatitis C virus infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease cases. Anti-viral treatment for chronic hepatitis B and C is effective for primary prevention and has the potential to reduce HCC incidence both globally and in the United States. Secondary prevention with HCC screening in at-risk patients is associated with improved early tumor detection, curative treatment receipt, and improved survival; however, it is underused in clinical practice with less than 20% of at-risk patients undergoing any screening.
Target Audience
UT Southwestern faculty, fellows, residents and medical students, community physicians, nurse clinicians, physician assistants and nurses.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, the participant should be able to:
- Identify primary risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States
- Describe the role of hepatitis B and hepatitis C treatment in the primary prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma
- Discuss the benefits (and limitations) of hepatocellular carcinoma screening in at-risk persons
Amit Singal, M.D.
Medical Director of Liver Tumor Program & Clinical Chief of Hepatology
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine & Clinical Sciences
Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care
David Bruton, Jr. Professorship in Clinical Cancer Research
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
Dr. Singal is a transplant hepatologist and health services researcher who completed his training at the University of Michigan and joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2010. He is an expert in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in early tumor detection and screening process failures, and serves as Medical Director of the Liver Tumor Program. He is currently leading CPRIT- and NIH-funded grants to evaluate interventions to improve the effectiveness of early tumor detection efforts among patients with cirrhosis in the United States.
Available Credit
- 1.00 AMA
Price
Required Hardware/software
Activities should be run with recent versions of common browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome