[The relationship between benign liver tumors and free radicals]

The purpose of this review was to summarise what is known about the benign hepatic tumors, especially the role that free radicals play in the etiology and in the complications of these neoplasms. Nowadays benign liver tumors are considered as common entities. With the technical developments of radiology their diagnosis has become much easier, but still it is the major difficulty for the doctor to handle. There are different types of benign hepatic neoplasms: liver cyst, hemangioma, hepatocellular adenoma, focal nodular hyperplasia and there are also some rare tumor types. The relationship between hepatocellular adenoma and the use of oral contraceptives is well known. The oral contraceptives reduce the antioxidant capacity of the blood, this could be an explanation for the generation of these neoplasms. Benign liver tumors are also associated to thrombotic reactions. These neoplasms may require surgical treatment, so the oxidative stress is one of the main prognostic factors of the patients' survival.