Outcomes of patients presenting with elevated tumor marker levels but negative gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI after a complete response to hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

HCC frequently recurred within a short interval in patients who achieved a complete response to treatment in the presence of increased tumor marker levels, even if gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI was negative. Under such circumstances, we suggest a short-term follow-up including, but not limited to, gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI along with systemic evaluation.