Hepatocellular carcinoma: options for diagnosing and managing a deadly disease.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important cause of death in patients with liver disease, and its incidence appears to be rising in the United States. Because early diagnosis improves the chances of survival, it is important to identify patients who would benefit from surveillance. Once HCC is suspected on surveillance, noninvasive diagnostic tests are available to make an accurate diagnosis. Treatment should be individualized, based on the characteristics of the tumor and the degree of liver dysfunction.