The morphogenesis of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

In both cirrhotic and non cirrhotic livers, hepatic carcinogenesis appears as a multistep process commonly starting from hyperplastic nodules and reaching HCC via a continuous spectrum of lesions. Minute HCC without a background of hyperplastic lesions have also been identified in cirrhotic livers. These observations suggest that the morphological progression of carcinogenesis in the human liver can develop through two different main pathways.