CLINICAL FEATURES OF SMALL HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMAS

Abstract

The clinical features of 51 patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) smaller than 5cm in diameter, including 26 with resection and 4 with autopsy, were studied. All 51 patients were clinically diagnosed after the introduction of real-time linear scan.
In 62.7% of them, no subjective symptoms were seen and in the remainder abdominal fullness and general malaise were frequent.
Serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) was normal in 25.5% and above 200ng/ml in 33.3%. HBs antigen was positive in serum in 20%. Determination of the ratio of sGOT/sGPT and the level of alkaline phosphatase were not useful for diagnosing small HCC.
Ultrasound (US) had the highest detection rate (92.2%) for small HCC in comparison with other imaging modalities.
In 12 patients with no resection, the survival rate in one year was 75%. It was expected that patients with small HCC will live for a comparatively long time.
It may be possible to detect small HCC by a combination of US and AFP measurements as a routine for check-up examination in patients with chronic liver disease.