Current screening guidelines may not detect liver cancer soon enough in African Americans Early detection could reduce the number of African Americans dying from liver cancer, but current screening guidelines may not find cancer soon enough in this community, according to a study published in Cancer in February. Black patients with liver cancer often have a worse prognosis than those of other racial and ethnic groups. Mount Sinai researchers sought to understand the reasons for this disparity by studying patients with hepatitis C, the leading driver of liver cancer in the United States. Hepatitis C virus infection can result in cirrhosis, which greatly increases the risk of liver cancer. Because of that risk, current guidelines emphasize the need for screening among patients who have already developed cirrhosis.