[Morphometric analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma: diagnostic usefulness of numerical nuclear density and its ratio]

In order to develop a conventional objective criterion for differentiating well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma and benign hepatic lesions, morphometric analysis was made. First, we measured four variables, that is, cell size, nuclear size, N/C ratio and numerical nuclear density (number of nuclei of hepatocytes within a unit area) and examined the diagnostic values of these variables. Among these four variables, nuclear density was found to be the most diagnostic. Using only the variable of nuclear density, trabecular type and pseudoglandular type carcinomas could be well discriminated but not other types. Then we examined not only nuclear density but also nuclear density ratio of the tumor to non-tumor and derived a discriminant formula calculated by these two variables. This formula more improved the correct discrimination of small hepatocellular carcinoma.