Best J, Bechmann LP, Sowa JP, et al. - Researchers conducted this case-control study to evaluate the ability of the GALAD (gender, age, AFP-L3, AFP, and DCP) score, which determines risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on patient gender; age; and serum levels of α-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP isoform L3 (AFP-L3), and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), to identify HCC in patients with NASH. Participants in the study were 126 individuals with HCC (20% within Milan Criteria) and 231 individuals without HCC (NASH controls) from 8 centers in Germany. In addition, data were analyzed from 389 individuals with NASH under surveillance for HCC in Japan, followed for a median of 167 months. In a case-control study conducted in Germany and a pilot cohort study in Japan, the authors discovered that in NASH patients with and without cirrhosis, the GALAD score can detect HCC with high accuracy rates. The GALAD score can detect patients with early-stage HCC and may facilitate monitoring of frequently obese NASH patients, which limits the sensitivity of ultrasound detection of liver cancer.