Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide. Imaging plays a critical role in HCC screening and diagnosis. Initial screening of patients at risk for HCC is performed with ultrasound. Confirmation of HCC can then be obtained by Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), due to the relatively high specificity of both techniques. This article will focus on reviewing MRI techniques for imaging HCC, felt by many to be the exam of choice for HCC diagnosis. MRI relies heavily upon the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents and while primarily extracellular gadolinium-based contrast agents are used, there is an emerging role of hepatobiliary contrast agents in HCC imaging. The use of other non-contrast enhanced MRI techniques for assessing HCC will also be discussed and these MRI strategies will be reviewed in the context of the pathophysiology of HCC to help understand the MR imaging appearance of HCC.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide leading to the 3rd most likely cause of cancer related deaths [1,2]
The poor prognosis related to HCC development is illustrated by the fact that in most countries the mortality rate mirrors the incidence rate [3]
Diagnostics 2015, 5 is the most common cause for the chronically diseased liver while, in the West and Japan, it is the hepatitis C virus [4]. This difference in liver disease may lead to different results in HCC imaging, discussed later in this article
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide leading to the 3rd most likely cause of cancer related deaths [1,2]. “Hyperenhancement” of the tumor in the late arterial phase is very important for the diagnosis of HCC [28,29,30] This “hyperenhancement” is defined as unequivocal increased enhancement of the lesion relative to the surrounding liver. The combination of arterial hyperenhancement followed by washout in the portal venous and/or delayed phase has a sensitivity of 64%–89%; specificity of 96%; and positive predictive value of 93% for the diagnosis of HCC [29,31,32]. The presence of arterial enhancement indicating malignant thrombus is often most distinguished on subtracted post-contrast series [36,38,39]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
