| Abstract: | Almost 2 000 people die each year from the adverse effects of alcohol use in Finland. Liver cirrhosis is the cause of death in half of the cases. Although the annual risk of hepatocellular cancer for a cirrhosis patient is 1 to 4%, more than 95% of the deaths result from complications caused by the cirrhosis, not the cancer. It seems that nontargeted screening of hepatocellular cancer for those affected with alcoholic cirrhosis or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is not cost-effective. Screening may, however, be advisable when the risk of cancer is high, provided that treatment of a detected cancer is possible. |
