Commentary on 'Development of a prediction model for 10-year risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: The Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Cohort II' by Michikawa et al.

摘要

Michikawa et al. (2012) conducted a thorough and commendable analysis of risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a Japanese cohort. Their contribution to knowledge about risk factors for HCC from a large follow-up study is welcome. They go on to propose a risk-scoring system that is said can be beneficial for public education to encourage modification of lifestyle risk factors and contribute to primary prevention of HCC. To facilitate readers' interpretations of that proposal, I mention some important statistical issues that should be understood by clinical and epidemiological researchers.