CT Appearance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Locoregional Treatments: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health problem worldwide, affecting more than 600,000 new patients per year. Curative treatments are available in a small percentage of patients, while most of them present in stages requiring locoregional treatments such as thermoablation, transarterial chemoembolization, and/or radioembolization. These therapies result in specific imaging features that the general radiologist has to be aware of in order to assess the response to treatment and to correctly manage the follow-up of treated patients. Multiphasic helical computed tomography has become a popular imaging modality for detecting hypervascular tumors and characterizing liver lesions. On this basis, many staging and diagnostic systems have been proposed for evaluating response to all different existing strategies. Radiofrequencies and microwaves generate thermoablation of tumors, and transarterial chemoembolization exploits the double effect of the locoregional administration of drugs and embolizing particles. Eventually radioembolization uses a beta-emitting isotope to induce necrosis. Therefore, the aim of this comprehensive review is to analyze and compare CT imaging appearance of HCC after various locoregional treatments, with regard to specific indications for all possible procedures.

Six Months Outcome of Loco-Regional Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma at Advanced Liver Center, Zagazig University

“…Regarding triphasic CT; the single focal legion was also the highest percentage finding 53.4%, and segments 2, 3 and 8 were the most places for the legions. This findings was in line with Marin et al [17] finding.…”

Imaging Evaluation Following 90Y Radioembolization of Liver Tumors: What Radiologists Should Know

“…After loco-regional treatment of hepatic tumors, nodular or peripheral ring-like enhancement around the treated lesion is usually considered to indicate local recurrence or a residual viable tumor ( 57 ). However, this may not be true following radioembolization.…”

Long noncoding RNA AURKAPS1 potentiates malignant hepatocellular carcinoma progression by regulating miR-142, miR-155 and miR-182

“…More than 700,000 new cases happened, and approximately 600,000 people die of liver cancer every year 1–3 . Despite medical technology development and progress that have led to great achievements in the comprehensive treatment of liver cancer, liver cancer recurrence and metastasis result in prognoses that are not optimistic 4–6 . Therefore, it is significant to study the underlying mechanisms of HCC progression to provide new information for improving HCC treatments.…”