Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Cirrhosis, particularly when related to viral hepatitis, is the most notable risk factor for HCC and is found in nearly 80-90% of cases.~The stage of disease at the time of diagnosis largely determines the effectiveness of treatment. The treatment of advanced HCC continues to be primarily palliative, with curative options only available for early HCC. Unfortunately, less than 30% of patients are diagnosed early enough to meet criteria for resection, transplantation, or local ablation.~Surveillance strives to detect HCC at an early stage when it is amenable to curative therapy to reduce mortality. Current practice guidelines recommend surveillance of cirrhotic patients with ultrasonography (USG) every 6 months. However, USG has been reported to have a sensitivity of between 65% and 80% when used as a screening test. However, with the advancement of cirrhosis, the sensitivity of USG decreases, while the risk for HCC increases.~Gadoxetic acid (Primovist®)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver has been demonstrated to be of clinical value for local staging before HCC surgery and for the assessment of patients with inconclusive conventional imaging findings. The detection sensitivity of Primovist-MRI has been known to be as high as 90-95%, which is significantly higher than USG or multiphase computer tomography (CT) scan. MRI does not have radiation exposure, which is a meaningful merit to be used as a surveillance test. However, MRI has never been considered for surveillance or screening of HCC.~Thus, the hypothesis to be proved by this study is as follows; Primovist-MRI should show significantly higher sensitivity compared to USG for the detection of early stage HCC when both of these imaging modalities are used with the interval of 6 months in patients with cirrhosis at high risk of developing HCC. The investigators will also analyze whether the specificity of Primovist-MRI are not compromised by its high sensitivity.
Current practice guidelines recommend surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver cirrhosis patients with ultrasonography (USG) every 6 months. However, with the advancement of cirrhosis, the sensitivity of USG decreases, while the risk for HCC increases. Gadoxetic acid (Primovist®)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been demonstrated to be of clinical value for diagnosis of HCC with the detection sensitivity of 90-95%, which is significantly higher than USG. The hypothesis to be proved by this study is as follows; Primovist-MRI should show significantly higher sensitivity compared to USG for the detection of early stage HCC when both of these imaging modalities are used with the interval of 6 months in patients with cirrhosis at high risk of developing HCC.