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近日，2024年新加坡GIHep与肝病联合大会（Combined GlHep & SHC 2024）在新加坡举办。本次会议汇聚了全球肝病领域的精英学者，共同探讨肝病的最新进展、挑战与机遇。肝癌是全球第三大癌症死亡原因，肝细胞癌（HCC）是最常见的原发性肝癌类型，占所有肝癌的90%。会议期间，本刊特邀澳大利亚皇家阿尔弗雷德王子医院Ken Liu副教授围绕HCC相关问题进行专访。
《国际肝病》
在本次会议上，我们看到了各种各样的研究。您更关注哪方面的研究内容？您关注这一方面的原因是什么？
Ken Liu副教授：我感兴趣的研究领域是HCC，HCC是一种在亚太地区高发的癌症，我特别关注与此主题相关的报告和会议。当前，这一地区脂肪肝疾病的增加导致HCC的发病率不断攀升，这已经成为一个亟待解决的问题。此外，非肝硬化患者的HCC检测也是一个巨大的挑战。因此，与此有关的研究或主题非常吸引我。
Hepatology Digest: At this conference, we have seen a variety of research content. Which areas have you focused on, and what motivated your interest in these topics?
Dr. Ken Liu: My research interest lies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a type of liver cancer prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region. I am particularly drawn to talks and sessions on this subject. One of the emerging issues we are facing is the increase in fatty liver disease leading to HCC in this region. This is becoming a significant problem. Surveillance for HCC in patients without cirrhosis poses a considerable challenge, so I found the discussions on this topic quite engaging.
《国际肝病》
鉴于HCC检测是一个有挑战性的领域，本次会议上是否有关于HCC检测的新发现或新技术？
Ken Liu副教授：本次会议上，我分享了关于HCC检测挑战和障碍的报告。其中主要指出，尽管我们目前拥有一些优秀的检测工具，但临床中的使用率并不高。我探讨了影响患者使用这些工具的因素，并提出了一些可能提高利用率的解决方案。
目前，我们主要依赖超声波进行HCC的检测，但这种方法存在一定局限性。比如，20%~30%的超声检查可视化效果不清晰。针对这一问题，在报告中我提出了一种新的技术——缩略MRI（abbreviated MRI）。当超声检查效果不佳时，这种缩略MRI技术能够有效地检测出早期HCC。
此外，未来人们还可以使用血液生物标志物进行更简便的检测，甚至在家中就可以完成检测。尽管目前这些生物标志物的准确性可能还达不到超声波与甲胎蛋白（AFP）联合检测的水平，但通过不断提升这些检测的准确率，我们相信它们将有助于更早地发现HCC，从而拯救更多生命。
Hepatology Digest: Given that this is a challenging area, have there been any new findings or innovative technologies presented at this conference regarding HCC surveillance?
Dr. Ken Liu: Yes, I recently gave a talk on the challenges and barriers in HCC surveillance. One of the primary issues is that, although we have decent surveillance tools, they are not being utilized effectively. I discussed patient barriers and potential solutions to enhance the usage of these tools. Currently, we rely heavily on ultrasound for surveillance, but it has limitations. For instance, in 20%-30% of cases, the ultrasound visualization is not clear. An innovative tool we might use in the future is abbreviated MRI, which can detect early HCC when ultrasound is inadequate.
Additionally, I believe the future lies in using blood-based biomarkers, which people can easily test with a blood sample, possibly at home. Even if these biomarkers are not as effective as ultrasound plus AFP, increasing their utility can help detect HCC early and save more lives.
