
Recent Articles




Impact and opportunity: the case for investing in women’s cancers in Asia Pacific

WHO guideline for screening and treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions for cervical cancer prevention

Recommendations for Use of p16/Ki67 Dual Stain for Management of Individuals Testing Positive for Human Papillomavirus

Urgent Global Need for PIVKA-II and AFP-L3 Measurements for Surveillance and Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Development and Clinical Validation of a Novel Algorithmic Score (GAAD) for the Detection of Early-stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma
This study aims to establish and train the algorithm coefficients, and clinically validate the performance of the GAAD algorithm in differentiating HCC and benign chronic liver…
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Early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma screening in patients with chronic hepatitis B in China: a cost–effectiveness analysis

Patient-centric and ecosystem insights into hepatocellular carcinoma across Asia-Pacific – LEAP
In this white paper, insights on the liver ecosystem are uncovered, with the intention of facilitating action among various stakeholders to reduce liver cancer incidence and…
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Building modern hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance programmes: taking steps to address a leading cause of liver cancer death in Asia
In this whitepaper, HCC surveillance programs in Asia were analysed. The learnings from well established HCC surveillance programs, as well as the challenges in areas that…
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Clinical and Economic Impact of Upfront Next-Generation Sequencing for Metastatic NSCLC in East Asia
This study aimed to evaluate the economic impact of upfront NGS compared to testing modalities in East Asian patients with mNSCLC, by using Hong Kong as…
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A framework to rank genomic alterations as targets for cancer precision medicine: the ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of molecular Targets (ESCAT)
This study proposes a unified framework to classify targets for precision cancer medicine based on clinical evidence of utility, to aid oncologists in prioritising potential targets…
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The impact of the multi-disciplinary molecular tumour board and integrative next generation sequencing on clinical outcomes in advanced solid tumours
The integration of next-generation sequencing (NGS) comprehensive gene profiling (CGP) into clinical practice is playing an increasingly important role in oncology. Therefore, the HKU-HKSH Multi-disciplinary Molecular…
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Serum PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein at virological remission predicts hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B related cirrhosis
This study aimed to investigate the role of serum PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein in predicting HCC and mortality in cirrhotic CHB patients at virological remission following NA…
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Do combined assays of serum AFP, AFP-L3, DCP, GP73, and DKK-1 efficiently improve the clinical values of biomarkers in decision-making for hepatocellular carcinoma? A meta-analysis
This meta-analysis aims to provide insight on the efficacy of using combined biomarkers, AFP, AFP-L3, DCP, DKK-1, and GP73, for clinical decision-making for patients with HCC.…
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The prognostic values of serum markers in hepatocellular carcinoma after invasive therapies based on real-world data
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prognostic values of serum markers in HCC, with retrospective data. Li B, Liu A, Wen Y, Yang…
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The Diagnostic Value of Serum PIVKA-II Alone or in Combination with AFP in Chinese Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients
This study aims to investigate the diagnostic role of PIVKA-II alone or in combination with AFP in Chinese HCC patients. Xu F, Zhang L, He W,…
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HCC surveillance improves early detection, curative treatment receipt, and survival in patients with cirrhosis: A meta-analysis
This systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies of patients with cirrhosis aimed to evaluate the benefit and harms of HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis.…
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Efficacy analysis of combined detection of 5 serological tumor markers including MIF and PIVKA-II for early diagnosis of primary hepatic cancer
The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of combined detection of 5 serological tumor markers including macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and abnormal…
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APASL 2023 Taiwan Congress Report
Catch up on the highlights of APASL 2023 with this congress report, covering session on hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, and fatty liver disease.
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Unlocking the Value of Quality Next-Generation Sequencing in APAC
This whitepaper shares recommendations on ensuring standardization and quality of NGS across the region, to realize the potential of NGS and establish more effective and market-appropriate…
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Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with locally-advanced unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer: a KSMO-ESMO initiative endorsed by CSCO, ISMPO, JSMO, MOS, SSO and TOS
This guideline aims to adapt the ESMO 2017 guidelines to take into account potential differences related to ethnicity, cancer biology and standard practices associated with the…
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National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for lung cancer
The NCCN Guidelines are a comprehensive set of guidelines detailing the sequential management decisions and interventions to assist in the decision-making process of individuals involved in…
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Expert Consensus Recommendations on Biomarker Testing in Metastatic and Non metastatic NSCLC in Asia
This report provides consensus recommendations for NSCLC biomarker testing from Asian lung cancer experts for clinicians working in Asia to improve patient care. Biomarker testing approaches…
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Recommendations for the Use of Next-Generation Sequencing and the Molecular Tumor Board for Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Report from KSMO and KCSG Precision Medicine Networking Group
These recommendations provide a critical guidance from NGS panel testing to final treatment decision based on MTB discussion.
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Clinical Utility of Protein Induced by Vitamin K Absence-II in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of PIVKA-II in addition to AFP in patients with HCC. Bhatti ABHH, Naz K, Abbas G, Khan NY,…
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Utility of Combining PIVKA-II and AFP in the Surveillance and Monitoring of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Asia-Pacific Region
A panel of 17 experts from Asia-Pacific, gathered to discuss and reach a consensus on the clinical usefulness and value of PIVKA-II for the surveillance and…
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Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin and alpha-fetoprotein alone or in combination for hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This article aims to clarify the diagnostic value of DCP (PIVKA-II) and AFP in patients with different risk of HCC development (etiology, ethnicity, and various stages…
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A meta-analysis and of clinical values of 11 blood biomarkers, such as AFP, DCP, and GP73 for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
This study reanalyzes the related studies of 11 blood biomarkers of HCC, and compares the diagnostic value of these biomarkers for HCC systematically. Pang BY, Leng…
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Surveillance of Hepatocellular Cancer Among Hepatitis B and Cirrhosis Patients Using Protein Induced by Vitamin K Absence-II (PIVKA-II): A Cost-Utility Analysis for Hong Kong as an Example of Endemic Regions
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of serological tests or ultrasound alone versus their joint use with or without multivariate index algorithm for HCC screening in chronic…
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Biomarkers for the Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
This review highlights promising candidate biomarkers and biomarker panels that have completed phase II evaluation for the early detection of HCC. Parikh ND, Mehta AS, Singal…
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Cost-effectiveness Analysis of GAAD algorithm on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B in China
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of serological tests or ultrasound alone versus their joint use with or without multivariate index algorithm for HCC screening in chronic…
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Asia-Pacific clinical practice guidelines on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma: a 2017 update
These latest guidelines recommend evidence-based management of HCC and are considered suitable for universal use in the Asia-Pacific region, which has a diversity of medical environments.…
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Impact of PIVKA-II in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
This study was designed to investigate the potential role of PIVKA-II as a diagnostic, non-invasive marker for HCC at its early stages and to assess its…
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International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) White Paper on Biomarker Development for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
This white paper, which was developed by a group of experts in biomarker development, provides a framework on best practices to design, execute, and interpret biomarker…
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Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (2019 Edition)
Since the publication of Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer (2017 Edition), additional high-quality evidence has emerged with relevance to the diagnosis, staging,…
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Clinical practice guidelines for hepatocellular carcinoma: The Japan Society of Hepatology 2017 (4th JSH-HCC guidelines) 2019 update
The 4th version of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Hepatocellular Carcinoma was revised by the Japan Society of Hepatology, and published in October 2017 in Japanese. New…
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Surveillance Imaging and Alpha Fetoprotein for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Cirrhosis: A Meta-analysis
Society guidelines differ in their recommendations for surveillance to detect early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis. This study compared the performance of surveillance imaging,…
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Diagnostic challenges in primary hepatocellular carcinoma: case reports and review of the literature
HCC diagnosis can be particularly challenging in some cases and the obtained results seem ambiguous, resulting in a long-term and delayed diagnostic process.This paper presents three…
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Diagnostic value of PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma
This study aims to determine the cutoff values and to compare the diagnostic role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) in…
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Diagnostic value of prothrombin induced by the absence of vitamin K or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) for early stage HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma
This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of prothrombin induced by the absence of vitamin K or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) for early stage hepatitis virus B…
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Hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance: current practice and future directions
This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the indications and rationale for HCC surveillance, currently available surveillance methods and their utilization, effectiveness, and limitations, as…
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Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II versus alpha-fetoprotein in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review with meta-analysis
PIVKA-II has been extensively studied as a biomarker in HCC. However, its diagnostic capability varies across HCC studies. This study aimed to compare the performance of…
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Diagnostic value of serum PIVKA-II levels for BCLC early hepatocellular carcinoma and correlation with HBV DNA
This study aims to determine the clinical value of serum Prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) in early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to explore its…
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The clinical utility of Elecsys GAAD score in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
The performance of Elecsys® GAAD score, which includes the parameters of gender, age, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by Vitamin K absence or antagonists-II (PIVKA-II) in…
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Performance evaluation of the Elecsys PIVKA-II and Elecsys AFP assays for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis
Prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) is a serum biomarker linked to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), showing superiority to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for early disease detection. This…
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Performance Evaluation of the Elecsys GAAD Assay for the Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Across Different Disease Stages and Etiologies
The Elecsys® GAAD algorithm combines quantitative measurements of Elecsys PIVKA-II assay and Elecsys AFP assay, plus age and gender to generate a semi-quantitative result. This study…
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Multimarker Panels for Detection of Early Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective, Multicenter, Case-Control Study
This study systematically evaluates biomarkers mentioned in international guidelines and peer-reviewed literature for HCC surveillance and diagnosis, in order to identify combinations of biomarkers that display…
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Elecsys PIVKA-II and Elecsys AFP assays demonstrate good clinical performance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis across different disease stages and aetiologies
This study evaluates the clinical performance of the new Elecsys PIVKA-II immunoassay and the previously launched Elecsys AFP assay (Roche Diagnostics) to aid in the diagnosis…
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Clinical evaluation of Elecsys PIVKA-II for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) was reported as a diagnosis and prognosis marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This prospective study aims to comparatively verify…
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APACMed White Paper – Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through the Critical Role of Diagnostics
Diagnostic technologies are used across the entire patient journey of multiple disease states, and provide the tools to prevent, detect, and monitor the required interventions. Despite…
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Analytical performance and method comparison of the Elecsys PIVKA-II immunoassay as an aid in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
This study evaluates the analytical performance of the Elecsys PIVKA-II immunoassay to aid in HCC diagnosis, establish method-specific reference ranges in healthy individuals, and perform a…
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A comparative analysis of Elecsys GALAD and Elecsys GAAD score to detect early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma in an international cohort
This study compared the clinical performance of the Elecsys GALAD (gender [sex], age, alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP [AFP-L3] and protein-induced by vitamin…
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