Correlation between liver stiffness measurement and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: A case control study

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (TE) poorly predicts hepatocellular carcinoma risk in cirrhotic patients, despite its established role in fibrosis assessment. This case-control study compared 30 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with cirrhosis to 30 cirrhosis-only patients using FibroScan® TE for LSM. HCC patients were older, mostly male, with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) as the primary cirrhosis cause, followed by alcohol; median LSM was higher in HCC (58.0 kPa) versus non-HCC (24.5 kPa). Stratum-specific likelihood ratios rose with LSM and multivariate analysis confirmed age, HCV, alcohol and LSM as independent HCC predictors; LSM ≥39.45 kPa showed 83% sensitivity and 80% specificity for HCC detection in cirrhosis. Elevated LSM strongly associates with HCC risk, supporting TE as a non-invasive tool, especially with HCV/alcohol factors.