Fine-needle aspiration of hepatocellular carcinoma: False-negative result due to epithelioid cells.

The presence of epithelioid cells in fine-needle aspirations of a liver nodule is rare, but may complicate the diagnosis of the nodule. We report on a case of a liver nodule in hepatitis C cirrhosis. Results of fine-needle aspiration mainly revealed the presence of epithelioid cells, without any recognizable tumor cells. Histological examination of the nodule after surgical resection showed a hepatocellular carcinoma with numerous epithelioid and gigantocellular granulomas, without necrosis. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.