J. Kaczynski et al., METASTASES IN CASES WITH HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA IN RELATION TO CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE TUMOR - AN AUTOPSY STUDY FROM A LOW ENDEMIC AREA, Acta oncologica, 34(1), 1995, pp. 43-48
In order to study clinicopathologic features of hepatocellular carcino
ma (HCC) and their relation to metastatic growth, all autopsied cases
with confirmed HCC (n = 490) from a period with a high autopsy frequen
cy in a well-defined population were analyzed, Cirrhosis, usually of m
icronodular type, was found in 72%. The gross appearance of the tumour
was predominantly massive (46%) or multinodular (42%), The tumour inv
olved both liver lobes in 72% or the right lobe alone in 20%, Histolog
ically, trabecular growth (79%) and grade II of differentiation (52%)
prevailed, Vascular invasion was noted in 56%, whereas involvement of
the biliary tract was unusual (4%), Metastases especially involved lym
ph nodes (42%), lungs (18%) and skeleton (17%), Increased weight of th
e liver, multinodular appearance, involvement of both liver lobes, low
grade of differentiation and vascular invasion were significantly ass
ociated with presence of metastases.