New Horizons - myESR.org

www.myESR.org | EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF RADIOLOGY 2013will show imaging’scentral role inpatient managementESR: Could you please tell me more about the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)staging system?CA: Up to now, the only proposal linking staging to prognostic prediction and treatment indicationhas been the BCLC approach. This classification has emerged as the standard classificationfor the clinical management of HCC. The BCLC classification has been validated externally inprospective studies and different settings, and establishes treatment recommendations for allstages of HCC. It has been endorsed by several scientific associations (EASL, AASLD, ESMO,WGO). It was presented in 1999 (Llovet JM, et al. Semin Liver Dis 1999; 19: 329–38) and sincethen it has been refined according to new scientific evidence. The last update was published in2012 (Forner A, et al. Lancet 2012;379:1245).ESR: How high is the incidence of HCC in Spain?CA: The latest estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) indicatean age-adjusted incidence rate in men of 9.2 x 100.000, while it is significantly lower in women.This corresponds to an intermediate rate similar to other countries of southern Europe. However,it is important to note that HCC is currently the main cause of death in patients with cirrhosis,and accounts for more than 30% of patients registered for liver transplantation all over Europe.ESR: Why did you choose these three topics to illustrate Spanish radiology at ECR 2013?CA: I chose topics where radiologists are involved in the management of the patient, from beginningto end, from screening to treatment, and even further into the follow-up after treatment.Radiology in Spain is completely integrated into multidisciplinary teams for many specific processeslike participating in the decision-making process and improving efficacy. I selected threetopics in which we have a particularly important role.Professor Carmen Ayuso fromBarcelona, president of the SpanishSociety of Medical Radiology(SERAM), will preside over the‘ESR meets Spain’ session.Preliminary Programme EdiciÓn Invierno | ECR 2013 17