MORPHOMETRIC AND PATHOLOGICAL-STUDY OF HE PATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

Because of its great incidence and poor prognosis the hepatocarcinoma (HCC) has become a first line clinical challenge. This is the reason w e have performed a descriptive anatomo-pathological analysis of our ow n cases and a study of the possible prognostic value of nuclear parame ters. Design: We have performed a retrospective study of 83 cases. We reviewed the clinical records and histologic preparations. Methods. We analysed the following parameters: 1) Tumour site; 2) Association to cirrhosis; 3) Microscopic features (cellular type differentation grade , peritumoral lymphocytic infiltration, architecture, mitotic index); 4) Metastatic frecuency and location; 5) Morphometric nuclear paramete rs (area, perimeter, major diameter, major and minor axis, circle diam eter, sphere volume, ellipse volume, shape factor. Results: We highlig ht the following: 1) 50% of HPC associated to liver cirrhosis; 2) Asci tes was more frequent in the tumours located in the right lobe or both lobes than in tumours affecting the left lobe (p<0.005); 3) Macroscop ically, the commonest type was the nodular one (47.8%); 4) Microscopic ally, the commonest findings were as follows: cellular type (93%); dif ferentiation grade type II (61.4%); trabecular architecture (64.9%); l ymphocytic infiltration grade I (57.9%); 5) Mean mytotic index was 16. 3 m./high power field. 6) There were distant metastases in 81.1% and p ortal vein invasion in 44.6 %. 7) The nuclear morphometric study did n ot support any influence on patients' survival. Conclusions. 1) This d escriptive analysis allows a morphological data base that is very usef ul for subsequent morphological or prognostic studies. 2) Our data do not support any influence of nuclear parameters on patients' survival, although we cannot exclude some relation in a greater series.