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Pathology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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Molecular Genetics of Liver Neoplasia

Part of the book series: Cancer Genetics ((CANGENETICS))

Abstract

According to extensive studies on resected and biopsy materials of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of the early stage, a lot of new information about the morphologic characteristics of minute early-stage HCCs and the morphologic evolution of HCC from early to progressed stages have been obtained. Small HCC up to around 2 cm in size is categorized to two major types; distinctly and vaguely nodular type. Most of small HCC of distinctly nodular type are encapsulated and moderately differentiated, and are detected as hypervascular lesion. On the other hand, small HCC of vaguely nodular type is indistinctly nodular and well-differentiated, and contains portal tracts within the nodule and most of them are hypovascular. Despite small tumor size, the distinctly nodular type HCC is considered as progressed cancer but the vaguely nodular type is interpreted as an early HCC. Well-differentiated early HCCs are gradually de-differentiated and start to proliferate. Eventually, most of them become moderately differentiated when they reach to around 3 cm in size and show the clinicopathological features of classical HCC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, 830-0011, Japan

    Masamichi Kojiro (Executive Director)

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  1. Masamichi Kojiro
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Correspondence to Masamichi Kojiro .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lab. Human Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Health, Convent Drive 37, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA

    Xin Wei Wang

  2. Lab. Experimental Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Health, Convent Drive 37, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA

    Joe W. Grisham

  3. Lab. Experimental Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Health, Convent Drive 37, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA

    Snorri S. Thorgeirsson

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Kojiro, M. (2010). Pathology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. In: Wang, X., Grisham, J., Thorgeirsson, S. (eds) Molecular Genetics of Liver Neoplasia. Cancer Genetics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6082-5_3

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