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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: September 11, 2014
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, is the fastest growing cause of cancer-related death in the United States. While early detection of HCC through regular surveillance can improve survival, the optimal surveillance policies are unknown as of now.
In collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center, ISyE’s Turgay Ayer and team are proposing a novel modeling framework to determine the most cost-effective practical policies from a societal perspective to detect liver cancer.
In contrast to existing policies, the model considers surveillance policies that are stratified by patients' liver condition and age. The research team carefully calibrated the model parameters based on the best evidence from previously published observational studies. The results demonstrate that their proposed policies are more cost-effective than the recommended one-size-fits-all policies. Furthermore, unlike current surveillance policies, expanding surveillance to non-cirrhotic patients has great potential to improve survival outcomes and cost-effectiveness.