People with known chronic hepatitis and/or cirrhosis of the liver may benefit from the use of screening tests to try to find the cancer before it has spread beyond the liver. Thorough screening includes frequent monitoring of serum alpha-fetoprotein (a product found in the blood of 50 to 70 percent of all hepatocellular carcinoma patients in North America and more commonly worldwide) and ultrasound of the liver. These tests are not useful for identifying primary liver tumors other than hepatocellular carcinoma.
These screening methods may be most useful in Asia and Africa, where liver cancer is very common. They are not routinely used in North America because of this cancer's rarity, but similar screening programs may also be appropriate in areas with large Asian and African immigrant populations.
