Why some patients with cirrhosis miss recommended liver cancer screening
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Among Patients with Cirrhosis Across Five Safety Net Organizations
This project looks at why African American, Hispanic, and non-English-speaking patients with cirrhosis are less likely to get recommended liver cancer screening and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed that.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Palo Alto, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11224053 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have cirrhosis, researchers will review medical records across five safety-net health systems to see who received timely liver cancer screening before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. They will also survey and interview clinicians to learn about knowledge, practices, and pandemic-related changes that affect screening. The team will use statistical, multi-level mediation analyses to untangle how patient, provider, and system factors drive disparities and to link screening gaps to cancer stage, treatment, and survival. The work specifically focuses on African American, Hispanic, and non-English-speaking patients cared for in safety-net settings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults with cirrhosis receiving care at the participating safety-net clinics—especially African American, Hispanic, or non-English-speaking patients.
Not a fit: Patients without cirrhosis, those treated outside the participating safety-net organizations, or people not represented in the targeted racial/ethnic or language groups are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide changes in clinics and policies to reduce racial and language-based gaps in liver cancer screening so cancers are diagnosed earlier and more people can get effective treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have documented racial and language disparities in HCC screening, but comprehensive multi-site, multi-level analyses that include pandemic-related impacts are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Palo Alto, United States
- Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research — Palo Alto, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wong, Robert John — Palo Alto Veterans Instit for Research
- Study coordinator: Wong, Robert John
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.