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Date of submission of the HTAC Recommendation: 01 December 2025
Date of notification to HTAC on the SOH decision: 29 April 2026

The Secretary of Health (SOH) concurs with the final recommendation of the HTA Council on Biannual Ultrasound (US) combined with Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) test as screening test for adults at high risk to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through Department of Health (DOH) Department Circular No. 2026 – 0182 “Cascading of Recommendation for Government Financing on Biannual Ultrasound (US) combined with Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) Test as Screening for Adults at High Risk to Develop Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)” published on 28 April 2026.  

As a final recommendation, the HTA Council positively recommends biannual ultrasound (US) combined with alpha fetoprotein (AFP) test as a screening test for adults at high risk to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) every 6  months, for financing by DOH and/or PhilHealth.

For further details, please refer to the documents below:

[Public Copy] HTA Council Final Recommendation on BUS with AFP for HCC (01 December 2025)Download
Evidence-to-Recommendation-Ultrasound-with-AFP-for-HCC-screeningDownload
[DOH DC 2026-0182] SOH Decision on HTAC Final Recommendation on Biannual Ultrasound with Alpha Fetoprotein (BUS with AFP)Download