Cardiovascular systemic invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma: incidence and pattern in a west African population.

To determine the frequency of cardiovascular systemic invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Eighty-one Nigerian patients who had autopsy examinations were studied. Of these, 36 (44%) had tumour thrombi within the cardiovascular system (CVS) or metastases to the heart itself. Compared with the patients without CVS invasion, no clinicopathologic findings distinguished these two groups from each other. Furthermore, CVS invasion did not worsen the generally bad prognosis of these patients with liver cancer. It is concluded that CVS invasion is frequent and difficult to diagnose by clinical examination. Patients who are selected to undergo hepatic resection must be assessed by imaging techniques to exclude CVS invasion. However, it is unlikely that frequent and routine imaging procedures will affect the generally bad prognosis of the majority of the patients.