Multi-target blood test for hepatocellular carcinoma early detection: a cross-sectional analysis of the prospective ALTUS study.

The multi-target blood test (mt-HBT) detects early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma with 66.7% sensitivity, outperforming ultrasound's 22.2%, in a large multicenter study of at-risk patients.

• Why it matters: Ultrasound screening for HCC has limited early detection sensitivity and low adherence, especially in patients with obesity or steatotic liver disease, creating a need for more effective, accessible screening tools.
• What they did: Researchers conducted a prospective, multicenter comparison of the mt-HBT and ultrasound in 2293 adults with cirrhosis or chronic HBV, measuring sensitivity and specificity against imaging standards, with primary focus on early-stage detection.
• The result: The mt-HBT demonstrated non-inferior early-stage HCC sensitivity and a 44.4% absolute increase over ultrasound, though its specificity was slightly below the target, suggesting potential for improved screening strategies.