Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with metabolic syndrome is often free of significant fibrosis
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Metabolic syndrome has recently been identified as new risk factor/marker for chronic liver disease (CLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of HCC in patients with metabolic syndrome as the only risk factor for liver disease (metabolic syndrome group, n=31) as compared to HCC developing in the presence of overt causes for CLD (CLD group, n=81). From surgical biopsies obtained during HCC resection, the liver of HCC patients of the metabolic syndrome group was significantly more often free of significant fibrosis when compared to that of the CLD group. HCC associated with metabolic syndrome were significantly more often well-differentiated. Finally, in the metabolic syndrome group, five HCC developed on pre-existing liver cell adenoma, with three showing typical histological features of telangiectatic adenoma. HCC in patients with metabolic syndrome as sole risk factor for liver disease displays distinctive morphological features, occurring mostly in the absence of pre-existing fibrosis.
Abstract
