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World J Clin Cases. Sep 6, 2018; 6(9): 242-248
Published online Sep 6, 2018. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v6.i9.242
Diagnostic value of imaging examinations in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma
Xing-Hui Li, Qi Liang, Tian-Wu Chen, Jian Wang, Xiao-Ming Zhang
Xing-Hui Li, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Xing-Hui Li, Jian Wang, Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
Qi Liang, Department of Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Tian-Wu Chen, Xiao-Ming Zhang, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Li XH wrote most of the paper; Liang Q provided input to write the paper; Wang J provided free literature; Chen TW revised the manuscript; Zhang XM outlined and coordinated the writing of the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest associated with publication of this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Xiao-Ming Zhang, MD, PhD, Chief Doctor, Professor, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, 63 Wenhua Road, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. zhangxm@nsmc.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-817-2262218 Fax: +86-817-2222856
Received: April 27, 2018
Peer-review started: April 27, 2018
First decision: May 23, 2018
Revised: July 5, 2018
Accepted: August 1, 2018
Article in press: August 1, 2018
Published online: September 6, 2018
Processing time: 133 Days and 11 Hours
Abstract

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) includes hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and other pathological types and is characterized by rapid progression. Most of the clinical diagnoses are made at late stage or when distant metastasis occurs, increasing the difficulty of treatment and resulting in a poor prognosis. Therefore, the early diagnosis of PHC plays an important role in timely treatment and the improvement of prognosis. The gold standard for the diagnosis of primary liver cancer is liver biopsy, but it has limitations as an invasive examination. Presently, imaging has become the first choice for the diagnosis of liver cancer. We here summarize the new methods and techniques of imaging in diagnosis and evaluation of primary liver cancer in recent years, including ultrasonography, computed tomography perfusion imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging technology-voxel incoherent motion, diffusion tensor imaging, iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation-iron quantification, dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and hepatocyte-specific contrast medium imaging. Imaging diagnosis can not only evaluate the degree of differentiation, blood supply and perfusion, and invasiveness of the lesion, but also predict the prognosis, evaluate liver function, and provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Primary hepatocellular carcinoma; Diffusion-weighted imaging

Core tip: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) is one of the most serious malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality. It is the fifth leading cancer worldwide and third most common cause of cancer-related death. Early diagnosis of PHC plays an important role in timely treatment and improvement of prognosis. An ideal imaging technique should be chosen early and used promptly to make a qualitative diagnosis. The progress made in imaging techniques has offered new diagnostic methods for the study of liver cancer. This review outlines the diagnostic value of imaging in patients with PHC.