[Anatomo-pathologic diagnostic interpretation of nodular hepatic lesions]

Thirty cases of primary hepatic carcinomas and twenty hepatic metastatic localizations with equivocal histopathological features were investigated using morphologic criteria and immunohistochemical methods. The study was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from surgical removed specimens. On the basis of our experience (in according with literature data) we have shown that most of hepatocellular carcinomas express a specific morphologic pattern (i.e. contemporary cholangiocellular differentiation) and phenotypic characters (particularly CEA positivity with bile canalicular pattern). Nevertheless in some cases it is impossible to make a differential diagnosis; the evaluation of new biological parameters like proliferative index will be useful.