title: Simple tumor profile chart based on cell kinetic parameters and histologic grade is useful for estimating the natural growth rate of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: Thirty-four untreated hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with known growth rates were classified into 5 groups on a tumor profile chart based on their doubling time (DT), Ki-67-positive index (Ki-67-PI), apoptotic index (Apo-I), and histologic grade. The slow-growing HCCs (DT > 100 days) consisted of well-differentiated tumors with slight cell kinetic imbalance and were divided into groups A and B. Group A had Apo-I values <3%, and most tumors had Ki-67-PI values <10%, whereas group B had Apo-I values of 3 per thousand to 10 per thousand and Ki-67-PI values of 10% to 20%. The HCCs with intermediate growth rates, which had Ki-67-PI values similar to those of the tumors in group B, were divided into groups C and D based on differences in cell kinetics: group C consisted of well-differentiated tumors, most of which had Apo-I values <3 per thousand, and group D consisted of moderately or poorly differentiated tumors with Apo-I values between 10 per thousand and 20 per thousand. The rapidly growing tumors (DT < 50 days, group E) had higher Ki-67-PI values than other groups and a wide range of Apo-I values. Rapidly growing tumors were mostly moderately or poorly differentiated, with a large cell kinetic imbalance in favor of cell production. This grouping system is useful for approximating the growth rate of HCCs in a clinical setting, even when only histologic parameters are available.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Michihisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mitsumoto
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katagishi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shintani
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okanoue
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kagawa
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ashihara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen