Detection and Diagnosis of Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Techniques of Computed Tomography and Imaging Modalities

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant type of primary cancer accounting for over 90% of cancers in China [1]. The incidence of HCC varies greatly from country to country and is particularly prevalent in coastal regions of China. It is the third cause of death in males and the fourth cause of death in females from malignant tumors. It is recognized that early detection is of great clinical importance since HCC has a high possibility of surgical resection, which is considered the best method of treatment with a 5-year survival rate (50%–70%) according to our statistics. In contrast, advanced cases of HCC have low resect-ability and a poor prognosis. Currently, detection of HCC has been improved significantly with many imaging modalities available and in common use, but for small HCC, (SHCC), and in particular for less than 1 cm lesions, there are problems in early detection and differential diagnosis. Our aim as radiologists is to carry out research work to detect HCC lesions as early as possible and as small as possible, i. e., less than 4.5 cm (Okuda), less than 2.0 cm, and even less than 1.0 cm in diameter.