Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40899157›Full record

ArticleJournal of liver cancer2025

Impact of the 2024 medical-policy conflict on hepatocellular carcinoma management in Korea.

Soon Sun Kim, Hyun Yang, Jieun Kwon, Eunju Kim, Jeong Il Yu, Janghan Jung, Woosun Choi, Ji Eun Han, Moon Haeng Hur, Bo Hyun Kim and 15 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of liver cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

25 authors.

Soon Sun KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Hyun YangThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Jieun KwonThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Eunju KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Jeong Il YuThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Janghan JungThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Woosun ChoiThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Ji Eun HanThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Moon Haeng HurThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Bo Hyun KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Sung Hyun KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Jeong Han KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Haeryoung KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Pyoung-Jae ParkThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Hyun Phil ShinThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Su Jong YuThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Ki Tae YoonThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Sang Min YoonThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Minjong LeeThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Jai Young ChoThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Jin-Young ChoiThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Do Young KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
June Sung LeeThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Mi-Sook KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.
Kyung Sik KimThe Korean Liver Cancer Association, Seoul, Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In 2024, a nationwide conflict between the South Korean government and the medical community, the medical-policy conflict, profoundly impacted healthcare delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following this crisis. We analyzed retrospective real-world data from university hospitals in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, supplemented with national healthcare data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The analytical variables included changes in workforce composition, initial treatment modalities, HCC stage distribution, quality indicators for HCC care, regional and institutional variations in care delivery, and liver transplantation (LT) volume. A comparison between 2023 and 2024 revealed a marked decline in the number of medical trainees, a rise in the proportion of physician assistants, a 28.9% reduction in newly initiated HCC treatments, and an increased rate of stage IV diagnoses. Several quality indicators, including rates of multidisciplinary care and patient education, declined. The volume of LTs decreased by approximately 20% nationwide, with some regions ceasing LT procedures. The results suggest that serious disruptions occurred in HCC care following the conflict. The significant decrease in initial treatment and number of LT procedures, more advanced stages at diagnosis, and declining quality metrics indicate the emergence of healthcare gaps. Without the recovery of the clinical workforce and the reestablishment of a stable healthcare delivery system, the management of serious diseases such as HCC will remain structurally vulnerable. National-level efforts are urgently required to address regional disparities and restore essential medical services.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, hepatocellularLiver transplantationPhysician assistantsPolicy

Identifiers

PMID40899157
PMCPMC12518984

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.