Open AccessHistopathology of hepatocellular carcinoma - when and what
Author(s) -
Doreen Maria Gisder,
Andrea Tannapfel,
Iris Tischoff
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
hepatoma research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2454-2520
pISSN - 2394-5079
DOI - 10.20517/2394-5079.2021.106
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma , biopsy , grading (engineering) , liver biopsy , histopathology , intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma , differential diagnosis , pathology , gastroenterology , radiology , civil engineering , engineering
When do you need to take biopsies of the liver, and what information will you get is the topic of this review on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If, clinically, the differential diagnosis of HCC after imaging is suggested, a biopsy has become obligatory as a diagnostic confirmation of HCC in the non-cirrhotic liver prior to definitive therapeutic interventions, as well as in a palliative therapy concept. In the case of hepatic lesions with an uncharacteristic contrast uptake, a biopsy should be performed immediately to confirm the diagnosis of HCC. After diagnosing HCC, a treatment strategy is evaluated. Further, the biopsy, or in case of surgical treatment, the resected tissue, shows us the different subtypes of HCC, with the steatohepatitic subtype being the most common and the lymphocyte-rich subtype being the least common. Further, the histological grade of HCC is determined according to the grading system of the WHO or the Edmonson and Steiner System. Through biopsies, HCC can be differentiated from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma or metastases of other malignant tumors, especially metastases of the gastrointestinal tract. In summary, biopsies are fundamental in the diagnosis of HCC.