Differentiation between dysplastic nodule and early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: The utility of conventional MR imaging

Table 1 Clinical characteristics of the 73 cirrhotic patients with liver nodules

	Histopathological diagnosis			P value
	DN (n = 14)	w1-HCC (n = 40)	w2-HCC (n = 19)
Age (mean ± SD, yr)	54.9 ± 12.9	62.4 ± 12.2	63.4 ± 10.8	0.129
Sex				0.629
Male	11	27	12
Female	3	13	7
Underlying liver disease				0.640
HBV	7	15	7
HCV	3	15	10
HBV + HCV	2	6	1
Alcoholism	2	4	1
Child-Pugh class				0.645
A	10	25	14
B	4	15	5
Tumor size (mean ± SD, cm)	1.8 ± 0.6	2.1 ± 0.7	2.9 ± 2.3	0.365
AFP (mean ± SD, ng/mL)	17.1 ± 27.9	55.5 ± 117.9	64.2 ± 169.7	0.202
< 20 ng/mL	12	28	13	0.790
≥ 20 ng/mL	2	12	6
> 20, ≤ 100 ng/mL	2	7	4
> 100, ≤ 200 ng/mL	0	0	1
> 200 ng/mL	0	5	1

HBV: Hepatitis B virus; HCV: Hepatitis C virus; AFP: Alpha-fetal protein; DN: Dysplastic nodule; w1-HCC: Well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma compatible with Edmondson-Steiner grade I; w2-HCC Well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma compatible with Edmondson-Steiner grade II.