Malignant liver tumors that mimic benign lesions: analysis of five distinct lesions.

The diagnosis of malignant liver tumors has long been an important part of surgical pathology, but now with improved radiographic and biopsy techniques, the appropriate pathological identification and differentiation of malignant from benign liver lesions has become even more critical. This review discusses five examples of malignant lesions that may be underdiagnosed as benign: well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, fetal and macrotrabecular hepatoblastoma, well-differentiated cholangiocarcinoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.