Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), affecting 8% of the adult population in Hong Kong. In 2010, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) introduced the CUHK-HCC score, a simple index developed primarily for family doctors to assess the cancer risk of patients with chronic hepatitis B based on their age, albumin, bilirubin, viral load and cirrhosis.
The score classifies patients into high or low HCC risk group, and predicted their risk of developing HCC in the coming 5 years without taking antiviral therapy. Its performance among patients undergoing antiviral therapy remained untested. A longitudinal study recently conducted by Prof. Henry Lik Yuen CHAN, Director, Center for Liver Health, CUHK, and his team has further supported the use of CUHK-HCC score as an effective cancer risk predictor for patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving antiviral therapy, which will have great implication on clinical management and patient education.
Read more..... Labels: Disease Management, HCC risk