BENIGN LIVER-LESIONS - IMPLICATIONS OF DETECTION IN CANCER-PATIENTS

A review of liver sonograms obtained for cancer patients (excluding pr imary liver cancers) over a 12 year period found 829 benign lesions: n on-parasitic cysts (427 cased), hemangiomas (216 cases), solitary calc ifications (79 cases), focal fatty infiltration (62 cases), and miscel laneous lesions (45 cases). These benign pathologies represented 41.8% of the focal hepatic lesions observed during this period in this popu lation; hepatic metastases accounted for the remaining 58.2%. Marked f emale predilection was noted for the nonparasitic cysts, hemangiomas, and focal fatty infiltration; 63-78.7% of these lesions were solitary, and first-line imaging by US was sufficient for diagnosis of 66.1-98. 2% of cases. Analysis of lesion evolution over more than 5 years revea led modifications in 17% of hemangiomas, 23.9% of nonparasitic cysts, and 75% of cases of focal fatty infiltration. Systematic pretherapy li ver sonography can be proposed owing to the high frequency of benign l iver lesions that can create diagnostic problems during follow-up of c ancer patients.