As noted in the December policy notice, the Board approved modifications to Policy 3.6.4.4 (Liver Transplant Candidates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)) that more clearly define the imaging characteristics of HCC. Once this policy is implemented in UNetSM, HCC lesions will be classified more precisely according to newly-defined imaging criteria with only Class 5 lesions potentially eligible for automatic upgrades.
For those liver transplant program staff who wish to begin familiarizing themselves with these new criteria prior to actual implementation, you can review a sample reporting summary template referenced in the revised policy (Table 7C), as well as a flowchart that describes the new OPTN classifications.
Please note that centers will NOT be required to comply with these criteria until programming in UNetSM is completed; UNOS will send a system notice when these changes have been programmed in UNet.
