Hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation between biologic features and signal intensity on gadoxetic
Azusa Kitao1, Osamu Matsui, Norihide Yoneda
1Departments of Radiology, Gastroenterology, and Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan. kitaoa@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Purpose:
To analyze the correlation among biologic features, tumor marker production, and signal intensity at gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).
Materials And Methods:
Institutional ethics committee approval and informed consent were obtained for this retrospective study. From April 2008 to September 2011, 180 surgically resected HCCs in 180 patients (age, 65.0 years ± 10.3 [range, 34-83 years]; 138 men, 42 women) were classified as either hypointense (n = 158) or hyperintense (n = 22) compared with the signal intensity of the background liver on hepatobiliary phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images. Pathologic features were analyzed and a fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) production were compared by means of serum analysis and immunohistochemical staining. Recurrence and survival rates were also evaluated. The Mann-Whitney and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analysis.
Results:
The grade of differentiation was higher (P = .028) and portal vein invasion was less frequent in hyperintense HCCs (13.6%) than in hypointense HCCs (36.7%) (P = .039). The serum levels of AFP, Lens culinaris agglutinin reactive fraction of AFP, and PIVKA-II were lower in hyperintense than in hypointense HCCs (P = .003, .004, and .026, respectively). Immunohistochemical AFP and PIVKA-II expression were lower in hyperintense than in hypointense HCCs (both P < .001). The recurrence rate was lower in hyperintense than in hypointense HCCs (P = .039).
Conclusion:
The results suggest that hyperintense HCCs on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR images are less aggressive than hypointense HCCs.
Supplemental Material:
http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.12120226/-/DC1.
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