Liver Pathology: Cirrhosis, Hepatitis, and Primary Liver Tumors. Update and Diagnostic Problems

Cytologic features and histologic correlations of microacinar and microtrabecular types of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma in fine-needle aspiration biopsy

“…The opinions regarding nodule size separating these two entities vary in the histopathologic literature, ranging from 1.5 cm 32 to 3.0 cm. 26 In the current study, 1.5 cm was the cut-off size to report HCC. One example that was excluded from this series was from a patient with cirrhosis and hepatitis C who presented with a solitary, 1.5 cm, hypervascular, solid nodule at the time of FNA and was diagnosed with HCC based on the diffuse macronucleoli in the small hepatocytes in microtrabecular arrangement.…”

“…In the World Health Organization classification 9,25 of HCC, there are a number of histologic variants of HCC, including the microacinar pattern, formed by the dilated canaliculi, and the compact (solid 26 ) growth pattern, formed by the trabeculae growing together, compressing the sinusoids and forming sheets of tumor cells. The majority of microacinar and microtrabecular types of HCC in cytology were the compact type of HCC in histology in this study.…”

“…The current study confirms all of these previous findings and summarizes these cytologic features in a series of 14 cases with histologic correlation (Table 3). When encountering small hepatocytes arranged in a microtrabecular and microacinar smear pattern, it is important to find out the size of the liver mass from radiology, because small cell dysplasia 25,26,31,32 has similar cytologic and histologic features. Nodules smaller than a certain size will be regarded by surgical pathologists as small cell dysplasia, and nodules larger than a certain size will be regarded as a compact type of HCC.…”

Distinguishing well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma from benign liver by the physical features of fine-needle aspirates

“…In the previous year, they reported that loss of reticulin was usually very helpful in differentiating macroregenerative nodules from small HCC in cirrhotic liver. 23 In her 2000 short course, 13 Ferrell listed the reticulin status of hepatocellular nodules in both cirrhotic and noncirrhotic livers in two tables. She reported a normal reticulin in focal nodular hyperplasia, liver cell adenoma (may be slightly decreased), nodular regenerative hyperplasia in noncirrhotic livers, and in cirrhotic livers, an intact reticulin in macroregenerative nodules.…”

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel gene which is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…Pathologically, HCC occurs largely on chronically diseased liver mainly caused by hepatitis viral infections. The long period of chronic liver lesion, inflammation and liver cell turnover often result in cirrhosis and finally carcinoma (Ferrell, 2000;Ponder, 1996). The multiple hepatocarcinogenesis involves large molecular events including genetic and epigenetic changes, which accumulate through progression (Hui and Makuuchi, 1999;Zimmermann et al, 1997).…”