Increasing Sensitivity of Morphological Diagnosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) by Combination of Cytological and Fine-Needle Histological Examination after Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Biopsy

Abstract

Increasing sensitivity of morphological diagnosis by combination of cytological and fine-needle histological examination after ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the factors which may affect the sensitivity of morphological diagnostics (cytology and fine-needle histology) in HCC after ultrasound guided biopsy. In 62 patients, an ultrasound guided cytological (n = 62) and fine-needle histological (n = 45) biopsy was performed. In addition, the smears were investigated by cytophotometry (n = 62). Considering each method separately, the sensitivity of both cytological and histological diagnostics was about 80%. The sensitivity could be raised to 89% by combining the two methods. In seven patients, the HCC could not be primarily confirmed morphologically. In nine patients, the result of histological and cytological investigation was not congruent. With regard to the size of the biopsied lesion, tumor stage, cytophotometric finding and survival these 16 patients (group A) were compared with the 46 patients in whom the HCC could be primarily confirmed morphologically (group B). The statistical analysis did reveal a significantly lower percentage of tumors with diploid or tetraploid (euploid) cells in group B. Euploid tumors were significantly more highly differentiated. In patients with euploid tumors, the sensitivity of the cytological investigation was 67% and respectively 75% of the histological investigation. The sensitivity could be raised to 82% in this population by combining the two investigations. On the other hand in aneuploid tumors, the sensitivity could only be increased from 93% and 88% respectively to 97% by combining cytology and fine-needle histology. Our investigations show that the sensitivity of morphological diagnostics can be raised especially in the highly differentiated HCC with a physiological DNA content by combination of cytological and fine-needle histological investigations.