Search for a command to run...
HCC is not a major killer among malignant diseases in Western countries, and until recently few Western hepatologists were interested in this cancer. After the demonstration of an etiologic role for HBV infection in hepatocarcinogenesis, interest surged even in lowincidence countries, particularly among molecular biologists and oncologists. A large body of literature now exists dealing with molecular mechanism in HBVrelated human HCC and hepadnavirus-induced HCC in animals. The recent identification and cloning of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has focused interest on chronic C hepatitis which, under the name of non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis, had for some time been suspected as another etiological factor for HCC in certain areas of the world. It did not take long before well-documented evidence linked HCV to HCC. Imaging diagnosis of small-mass lesions in the liver has progressed remarkably in recent years, as emphasized in a previous review in this JOURNAL (1). In countries where detection and resection of small HCCs in cirrhotic livers are common practice, pathologists are discussing how to differentiate large, benign, hyperplastic nodules; adenomatous hyperplastic nodules with potential to transform; and early HCC lesions histopathologically. Radiologists are attempting to make similar diagnostic distinction by imaging alone with limited success. This review attempts to update the recent progress made in the basic study of HCC.