Hepatobiliary Phase Hypointense Nodules without Arterial Phase Hyperenhancement (IMAGE)
Caption
HCC develops in patients with underlying chronic liver disease or cirrhosis via a multistep process of carcinogenesis, ranging from a DN to early HCC and, finally, to overt HCC. All these precursors of overt HCC are collectively called borderline hepatic nodules in clinical practice and, even nowadays, their detection and precise differentiation remain difficult and often uncertain, mainly because of the similarity of their pathological features. Pathologically, most HCCs develop from clonal cells that have expanded into dysplastic foci, defined as clusters of hepatocytes with precancerous features such as small cell change. However, as these small lesions measure <1 mm, they are not detectable by in vivo imaging, remaining a challenge for future investigation.
Credit
Nicolò Brandi, Matteo Renzulli
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License
CC BY-NC