Pathologic diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma: A report of the international consensus group for hepatocellular neoplasia # †

Advances in imaging techniques and establishment of surveillance protocols for high-risk populations have led to the detection of small hepatic nodules in patients with chronic liver diseases, particularly those with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis B or C viruses. These nodules, comprising a broad range of diagnostic entities—some benign and some with malignant potential—are currently defined histologically, and their clinical management often depends on the ability to make a reliable histologic diagnosis. Evidence accumulated in the last two decades strongly favors the existence of a sequence of events in hepatic nodules that precedes the emergence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),1-10 and…