Keywords:
Liver, Abdomen, Oncology, CT, Diagnostic procedure, Observer performance, Cancer, Neoplasia
Authors:
I. Garg, S. Thompson, E. Ehman, S. P. Sheedy, A. Khandelwal, C. A. Bookwalter, T. Mounajjed, S. K. Venkatesh; Rochester, Mn/US
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-1742
Aims and objectives
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is second most common cause for cancer related deaths worldwide.1,2 HCC can be diagnosed non-invasively by their characteristic enhancement features on contrast enhanced dynamic computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) according to EASL,
AASLD and LIRADs criteria3.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in both Europe and USA and linked to epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome.3,4 NAFLD can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which can then progress to cirrhosis and its assoicated complications including development of HCC.
HCC can occur in NAFLD5-7 and NAFLD is considered a risk factor for developement of HCC8,9 HCCs can occur in NAFLD patients in the absence of advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis.10,11 The effect of hepatic steatosis,
a feature of NAFLD is unknown.
We therefore studied features of HCCs occuring in NAFLD with the following aims.
- To determine the effect of hepatic steatosis on major imaging features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- To determine interobserver agreement for imaging features of HCC occuring in NAFLD