CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES ON HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA ARISING IN THE NONCIRRHOTIC LIVER

The clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising in the noncirrhotic liver were studied in 26 patients against a background of 97 patients with HCC associated with cirrhosis. In the majority of noncirrhotic cases, ono or more hehatic lobes were resected because of the large tumor. As regards vascular invasion, in the cirrhotic cases, the frequency of portal vein invasion was high but the incidence of hepatic vein invasion was low at any site of tumor size. On the other hand, in the noncirrhotic cases, the frequency of portal vein invasion was low as same as the hepatic vein invasion at the small tumors, but as the tumor became larger, both frequency became higher. The prognosis of HCC without cirrhosis was better than those with cirrhosis, and then we can perform more useful treatment for patients with HCC without cirrhosis if the tumor can be diagnosed at an early stage.