The prevalence of underlying cirrhosis in patients with HCC is 80% to 90%.
Diagnosis of HCC can often be made with noninvasive studies (ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging) with biopsy reserved for lesions with atypical or discordant imaging.
Surgical resection is the optimal treatment for HCC for patients who have sufficient hepatic reserve. Patients who are neither surgical candidates nor transplant candidates may be managed by radiofrequency ablation or chemoembolization of their tumors.