Primary liver tumors in China.

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Surgical Pathology
• Oncology

Background:

• Limited large-scale studies exist on clinicopathological features of primary liver tumors (PLTs) in mainland China.
• Understanding PLT characteristics is crucial for diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively analyze the clinicopathological features of a large series of surgically resected PLTs in China.
• To identify the prevalence and characteristics of different PLT types, including tumor-like lesions, benign tumors, and malignant tumors.
• To investigate the association of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and liver cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 3,160 PLTs surgically resected between January 1982 and January 1996.
• Classification of PLTs into tumor-like lesions (Group 1), benign PLTs (Group 2), and malignant PLTs (Group 3).
• Analysis of patient demographics, lesion types, and rates of serum HBsAg positivity and liver cirrhosis in HCC cases.

Main Results:

• Malignant PLTs constituted 80.7% of cases, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being the most common (78.4% of all PLTs).
• Solitary necrotic nodules, cavernous hemangiomas, and HCC were the most frequent lesions in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
• HCC patients showed high rates of HBsAg positivity (74.4%) and liver cirrhosis (72%), particularly in small HCCs (<3 cm).

Conclusions:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma is the predominant malignant primary liver tumor in mainland China.
• A strong correlation exists between HCC, HBV infection, and liver cirrhosis.
• This study provides valuable data on the spectrum of PLTs in China.