Primary biliary cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The findings by epidemiological studies on the link between PBC and HCC are in general agreement with the notion that cirrhosis is a risk factor for HCC development. From the clinical perspective, this implies that in PBC patients with cirrhosis, the screening for HCC should be considered for evaluating prognosis as well as therapeutic options. At this time, it is not possible to determine whether any PBC-specific risk factors other than cirrhosis per se exist for the development of HCC.