Comparative Analysis of Clinical and MR Imaging Characteristics between Dual-Phenotype Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Conventional Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical and MR imaging differences between dual-phenotype hepatocellular carcinoma (DPHCC) and conventional hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and MRI findings of 29 patients with DPHCC and 29 propensity score-matched patients with conventional HCC, confirmed by surgical pathology, from January 2019 to January 2022 at Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital. Clinical characteristics, lesion location, morphology, size, signal intensity, enhancement patterns, vascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis were analyzed for both groups. RESULTS: Between the DPHCC group and the HCC group, statistically significant differences were found in cirrhosis, pathological grade, lesion morphology, enhancement patterns, delayed capsular enhancement, and lymph node metastasis. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, hepatitis B infection, AFP, CA199, microvascular invasion (MVI), capsular invasion, lesion size, location, vascular invasion, ADC values, and T1WI and T2WI signals. CONCLUSION: Compared to HCC, DPHCC has a higher pathological grade, more irregular lesion morphology, and a higher incidence of both fast-in and slow-out and slow-in and slow-out enhancement patterns, as well as higher rates of lymph node metastasis. The findings have provided valuable insights for the accurate diagnosis of DPHCC.
Language: English
Subfield: Hepatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416906253