240 hepatocellular carcinomas: ultrasound features, tumor size, cytologic and histologic patterns, serum...

Two hundred and forty cases of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), diagnosed by ultrasonography and fine needle biopsy, were studied. The following parameters were investigated: 1. echo features (240 cases) - hypoechoic, 54; hyperechoic, 56; complex, 112; isoechoic with halo, 18; 2. tumor size (240 cases) - single tumor under 4.5 cm, 30; single tumor over 4.5 cm, 74; multiple masses or diffuse, 136; 3. cytologic pattern (240 cases) - well and medium differentiated, 144; pleomorphic, 43; poorly differentiated, 28; unclassified, 25; 4. histologic pattern (157 cases) - trabecular, 74; solid, 42; acinar, 1; mixed, 2; unclassified, 38; 5. alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (185 cases) - under 20 ng/ml, 79; between 20 and 320 ng/ml, 40; over 320 ng/ml, 66; 6. HBs Ag (208 cases) - present in 56 cases; 7. cirrhosis (102 cases) - present in 79 cases. Some of the above parameters were correlated with one another. There was: 1. a highly significant frequency of the hypoechoic feature among small HCC; 2. a percentage of AFP-producing tumors increasing with tumor size; 3. no relationship between AFP production and cytologic or histologic pattern; 4. no relationship between tumor size and cytologic or histologic pattern. However, among the small HCC, all the 9 HCC with a diameter of less than 3 cm showed a trabecular pattern and well-differentiated cells. Cirrhosis was present in every patient with a small HCC. Since the discovery of a small HCC is an incidental ultrasonographic finding in the context of severe liver disease, ultrasonographic monitoring of cirrhotic patients is the best available strategy to screen for small HCC.