Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer globally and the fourth most common cancer in men in Korea, where the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection is high in middle-aged and elderly patients. These practice guidelines will provide useful and constructive advice for the clinical management of patients with HCC. A total of 44 experts in hepatology, oncology, surgery, radiology and radiation oncology in the Korean Liver Cancer Association-National Cancer Center Korea Practice Guideline Revision Committee revised the 2014 Korean guidelines and developed new recommendations that integrate the most up-to-date research findings and expert opinions.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in ectopic liver tissue is extremely rare.
METHODS: A 64-year-old woman presented initially with abdominal complaints. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a tumor in the diaphragm and laparoscopic resection of the tumor was performed. Histology showed HCC. During the next 4 years four more tumors, all of which showed HCC on histology and were located extrahepatically, was treated with laparoscopic resection. During this course the patient was followed with regular thoracoabdominal CT and measurement of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). A negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the liver excluded a primary intrahepatic tumor.
CONCLUSIONS: The literature available on ectopic HCC and the guidelines for management of HCC do not address the postoperative surveillance of patients undergoing curative treatment. A follow-up regime has been proposed by Hatzaras et al. (2014) to include cross-sectional imaging of the liver and measurement of serum AFP levels [1]. CT would be the preferred study of choice in a total radiologic investigation of the abdomen. While MRI is prone to artifacts due to movements, CT scans allows so rapid recordings that this no longer is an issue. An early investigation of the liver for intrahepatic HCC should nevertheless be performed early to exclude primary intrahepatic HCC.
CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that patients with ectopic HCC should be followed every 6 months with measurement of AFP and abdominal CT imaging. MRI of the liver should be performed early to exclude primary intrahepatic HCC.

The guideline for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first developed in 2003 and revised in 2009 by the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group and the National Cancer Center, Korea. Since then, many studies on HCC have been carried out in Korea and other countries. In particular, a substantial body of knowledge has been accumulated on diagnosis, staging, and treatment specific to Asian characteristics, especially Koreans, prompting the proposal of new strategies. Accordingly, the new guideline presented herein was developed on the basis of recent evidence and expert opinions. The primary targets of this guideline are patients with suspicious or newly diagnosed HCC. This guideline provides recommendations for the initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed HCC.