WHEN AND HOW SHOULD WE PERFORM A BIOPSY FOR HCC IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER CIRRHOSIS IN 2018? A REVIEW

The role of liver biopsy in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has changed over time. The diagnostic algorithm for this tumour is nowadays mainly based on radiological imaging, relegating histology to controversial cases, in which imaging techniques cannot establish a clear-cut diagnosis. This most commonly happens in small lesions, where biopsies frequently become mandatory, or in larger hypovascularized lesions. In this case however, the histological examination may not be reliable enough to grade the lesion, as different cell clones, deriving from sequential mutations, can originate heterogeneous cell populations.

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