[Difficulties in the diagnosis of primary cancer of the liver]

Case records have been analyzed for 92 patients with primary cancer of the liver. The discrepancies between the clinical and postmortem diagnosis reached 31%. It appeared that the exact diagnosis depended on valid evaluation of the disease history, clinical signs and findings at special examinations rather than on the number of investigations. Associated liver cirrhosis recorded in 24% of cases put another obstacle for a precise vital diagnosis. The study has furnished evidence for a judgment on the incidence of hepatic cancer, concomitant cirrhosis, possible etiologic factors, the state of clinical diagnosis and causes of death.