Choi DT, et al. – Because screening cirrhotic patients for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recommended by professional societies in order to increase early-stage tumor detection and survival, researchers examined the relationship between screening receipt and early tumor detection in this analysis. They also assessed associations between screening receipt and overall survival following adjustments to the effects of lead-time bias and length-time bias on survival rate estimators. After correction for lead-time bias, receipt of consistent screening was related to detection of early-stage tumors and reduced risk of death. They also noted an association of inconsistent screening with a slightly smaller increase in the early detection of HCC. Higher proportions of patients with consistent and inconsistent screening survived for 3 years vs patients without screening after correction for lead- and length-time biases. In an analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program-Medicare database, HCC screening in cirrhotic patients was found to be underutilized, contributing to liver tumor detection at more advanced stages and, thus, short survival times. The number of patients tested for HCC has, however, increased over time.