About Community Liver Checks
Around 6,100 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year. However, instances of liver cancer have increased by 50% over the past decade and are expected to continue to rise.
Existing evidence suggests only a third to a half of liver cancers are currently diagnosed at an early stage, either stage one or two.
The Community Liver Health Check pilots aim to support early detection and diagnosis of liver cancer by identifying and referring those at high risk onto liver surveillance pathways.
People diagnosed with significant fibrosis or scarring of the liver are referred directly to liver cancer surveillance pathways, which aims to detect the commonest form of primary liver cancer (hepatocellular cancer) at a curable or treatable stage.
The Pilot
The Community Liver Health Checks Pilot is a project that is focused on raising awareness of liver health to the public and what actions can be taken to improve liver health.
In West Yorkshire, liver health checks are being offered on our mobile clinic vehicle, which goes out in to the community offering fibroscans to the public, community groups and their members, high risk groups at addiction services, and GP practices.
Adults with a history of excess alcohol consumption, being overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure and other long-term conditions or a history of current or past viral hepatitis will be offered a scan, using a portable device, called a fibroscan.
Our mobile clinic vehicle will be visiting areas within the community throughout the pilot. At open events, the public are encouraged to request a check where they will be booked in to see a nurse and have their liver scanned.
Any patient who has a positive scan will be referred to one of our local hospitals for further investigations.
