The detection of Small Early Liver cancer with Natural history follow up (SELINA)

Research summary

Liver cancer (HCC, hepatocellular cancer) is a major world-wide health problem and is one of the fastest rising and fourth commonest cause of death due to cancer world-wide. HCC usually arises in people with liver cirrhosis as a result of viral infections, alcohol excess and obesity, all of which cause the immune system to attack the liver. Due to the increased risk of HCC, patients with liver cirrhosis usually have ultrasound scans and blood tests bi-annually, so that if a cancer develops this may be picked up in its early stages when it could be treated. However, these tests fail to detect liver cancer in 6 out of 10 people and the majority of people are first diagnosed when their cancer is too advanced to be cured. It remains unclear why and when people with liver cirrhosis develop cancer and little progress has been made to characterise the changes in the cirrhotic liver that leads to liver cancer. The aim of this study is to recruit patients with small early liver cancers to 1) evaluate imaging and state-of-the art molecular biomarker tests to detect liver cancer at the earliest stages; 2) characterise the non-cancerous “background” liver to better understand the changes that may lead to cancer transformation; 3) to assess if biomarkers can be used to predict disease progression by clinical follow-up. The SELINA study will recruit 200 HCC patients with and 50 without cirrhosis. Blood, urine and liver tissue samples will be collected for analysis. In a subgroup of patients, Magnetic Resonance liver Imaging will be performed. Patients will be follow-up up for a total of 14 years. The study aims to identify novel blood biomarkers and to use new imaging techniques to detect HCC at the earliest time point so that treatments that may cure HCC can be given.

Principal Investigator

Dr Emma Culver

Contact us

Email: ouh-tr.ctfresearch@nhs.net

IRAS number

289659