Investigation of lymph node metastases in autopsied cases of hepatocellular carcinoma

comparison between with and without liver cirrhosis

Abstract

The incidence and mode of lymph node metastases were investigated in 103 autopsied cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and compared between 90 cases with liver cirrhosis and 13 without liver cirrhosis. Following are the results obtained.
1. Lymph node metastasis was more frequent in cases without liver cirrhosis.
2. Lymph node metastases were mostly unidirectional, either cranial or caudal, in cases with liver cirrhosis. On the contrary, metastases occurred bidirectionally in many cases without liver cirrhosis.
3. The group 4 lymph nodes were more frequently involved in cases with liver cirrhosis.
4. In 30% of cases with liver cirrhosis, only one lymph node was involved.
The above results suggested that HCC with liver cirrhosis undergoes a different pattern of lymph node metastasis, compared to HCC without liver cirrhosis, due to increased lymph production and obstruction of lymphatic vessels by liver fibrosis.