Hepatocellular carcinoma and metabolic diseases - histological perspectives from a series of 14 cases.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a major health burden, as curative methods only apply to a select small portion of the affected population. Screening programs are ineffective in the absence of established underlying conditions such as viral hepatitis or alcohol abuse resulting in liver cirrhosis. Thus, overweight or obese, diabetic patients as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) cases are often overlooked as potential candidates for HCC development. Current diagnostic methods for HCC are restricted to non-invasive imaging tests; however, the need for accurate predictive or therapeutic markers make histological studies a necessity; the latest guidelines and recommendations demand an increased effort in obtaining pertinent data from immunohistochemical investigations. Our aim was to retrospectively evaluate a series of patients with common symptoms and manifestations of metabolic syndrome who underwent liver biopsy after imaging revealed suspicious liver masses. We describe the major findings of both common histological evaluation and microvessel density evaluated by positive CD34 immunostaining.