title: Characterization of hyperplastic foci observed in surgical specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: By reviewing previous surgical specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma, 17 cases with hyperplastic foci (HPF) characterized by discernible increase in nuclear densities, could be histologically selected. Nuclear densities of HPF and control hepatic parenchyma were assessed quantitatively by counting the nuclear number of hepatic cells, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index was measured. HPF occurred multifocally, confined within a lobular unit, smoothly merging into surrounding hepatic parenchyma. Nuclear densities of HPF were 1.71 times greater than those of control hepatic parenchyma. The hepatocytes of HPF also showed significantly higher proliferative activities than those of control parenchyma. In addition, noticeable structural distortions, such as focal trabecular thickening or microacinar formation of hepatocytes, were sometimes observed in HPF. However, these HPF seemed to be distinguished from minute de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic HCC metastasis, because of paucity of distinctive atypical changes, and intimate correlation with neighboring hepatocytes. Several adjacent HPF were aggregated to form a much larger unit of a hyperplastic area with loss of fibrous septa of liver cirrhosis. It was suggested that grossly detectable large regenerative nodules are produced via fusion of several adjacent HPF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Chiba University School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. kazukikt@aol.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urashima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saisho
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020518:Focal Nodular Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen