Preneoplasia of the liver. Definition - differential diagnosis clinical consequences

The great advances in radiological imaging techniques and their widespread availability have focused attention on hepatic premalignant nodular lesions . The histological differential diagnosis of these nodules can often be dif ficult, especially in needle biopsy specimens with limited material. Diagno stic considerations differ significantly between livers with and without ci rrhosis: In the noncirrhotic liver, the differential diagnosis includes liv er cell adenoma, nodular regenerative hyperplasia, and hepatocellular carci noma. In cirrhosis, dysplastic nodules (low and high grade), dysplasia (lar ge and small cell) as well as hepatocellular carcinoma may occur. The stand ardization and the uniform use of the nomenclature of these entities are ne cessary for a better understanding of the biological nature and etiopatholo gy of these lesions. Only a commonly accepted nomenclature makes a comparis on of different therapeutic treatment regimens feasible.