title: Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver (LAASL) clinical practice guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third most common cause of cancer death, and accounts for 5.6% of all cancers. Nearly 82% of the approximately 550,000 liver cancer deaths each year occur in Asia. In some regions, cancer-related death from HCC is second only to lung cancer. The incidence and mortality of HCC are increasing in America countries as a result of an ageing cohort infected with chronic hepatitis C, and are expected to continue to rise as a consequence of the obesity epidemic. Clinical care and survival for patients with HCC has advanced considerably during the last two decades, thanks to improvements in patient stratification, an enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, and because of developments in diagnostic procedures and the introduction of novel therapies and strategies in prevention. Nevertheless, HCC remains the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. These LAASL recommendations on treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are intended to assist physicians and other healthcare providers, as well as patients and other interested individuals, in the clinical decision-making process by describing the optimal management of patients with liver cancer.
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit. Medica Sur Clinic & Foundation. Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Nahum
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Méndez-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Hepatology Section, Department of Medicine. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno "CEMIC". Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Hepatology and Liver Transplant Unit. Hospital Universitario Austral, Pilar, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ezequiel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ridruejo
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Health Sciences Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alves de Mattos
authors.affiliation: Digestive Diseases and Obesity Clinic, Medica Sur Clinic Foundation. México City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Norberto C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Chávez-Tapia
authors.affiliation: Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Unit. University of Chile School of Medicine, German Clinic. Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zapata
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of School of Medicine - Federal University of Bahia Head of the Gastro-Hepatologist Unit of the University Bahia University Hospital.
authors.forename: Raymundo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paraná
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Unit. German Hospital.Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mastai
authors.affiliation: Clinical hepatologist of Hospital do Coraçao - São Paulo - Brazil. Professor of the Post Graduate Course in the Department of Pathology at the School of Medicine, University of São Paulo.
authors.forename: Edna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. San Vicente Foundation, University Hospital. Medellin, Colombia.
authors.forename: Luis Gonzalo
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Guevara-Casallas
authors.affiliation: Hepatology Department, Clinical Hospital San Martín. University of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daruich
authors.affiliation: Section of Hepatology, Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gadano
authors.affiliation: Professor Associado da Disciplina de Gastroenterologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Presidente Eleito da Sociedade Brasileira de Hepatologia.
authors.forename: Edison Roberto
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Parise
authors.affiliation: Digestive Diseases and Obesity Clinic, Medica Sur Clinic Foundation. México City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Misael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: Digestive Diseases and Obesity Clinic, Medica Sur Clinic Foundation. México City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Aguilar-Olivos
authors.affiliation: Consultant Hepatologist. Metropolitan Policlinic- Caracas- Venezuela.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dagher
authors.affiliation: Director of Liver Institute - Beneficencia Portuguesa de São Paulo. Chief of Liver Transplantation Team.
authors.forename: Ben-Hur
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Ferraz-Neto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology National Medical Center "Siglo XXI". Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdés-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Department National Institute of Nutrition and Medical Sciences "Salvador Zubirán" Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Avila
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003906:Developing Countries; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012955:Societies, Medical; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome