Letter: Enhancing HCC Surveillance: GES Score Represents an Innovative Simple Effective Tool for Risk Stratification, Patient Safety and Reduced Anxiety—Authors' Reply

Abstract

We would like to express our appreciation to Dr. Gueye, World Hepatitis Alliance Afro Regional Board Member and Honour President of Saafara Hépatites Sénégal, for his insightful letter on the advantages of the General Evaluation Score (GES) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance [1].

We agree with him that the GES score simplicity and practicality as a bedside tool make it accessible and easy to use in clinical practice [2, 3]. The ability to individualise surveillance using readily available routine blood tests, without reliance on costly or uncommon serum biomarkers that are not regularly performed in clinical practice [4], is a significant advantage. The low cost or no cost of the GES score, derived from routine laboratory tests that are already part of standard clinical care, ensures its practicality for widespread implementation, especially in developing countries where public health funds are limited.

The emphasis on reducing patient anxiety through tailored surveillance intervals further underscores the patient-centred approach of the GES scoring system. High-risk patients benefit from more frequent monitoring, ensuring timely intervention, while low-risk patients avoid unnecessary procedures, minimising their physical, emotional and financial burdens. I fully support initiatives advocating for its broader application and look forward to further studies affirming its value in diverse patient populations.

The authors' declarations of personal and financial interests are unchanged from those in the original article [5].

Gamal Shiha: conceptualization, investigation, writing – review and editing, project administration, supervision. Riham Soliman: writing – original draft, methodology, data curation.

This article is linked to Shiha et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18291 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18434.