Greater age and hepatocellular aging are independent risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma arising from non-B non-C non-alcoholic chronic liver disease

• Published in: Pathology international Vol. 61; no. 10; pp. 572 - 576
• Main Authors: Nakajima, Tomoki, Nakashima, Toshiaki, Yamaoka, Junko, Shibuya, Akiko, Konishi, Eiichi, Okada, Yoshihisa, Jo, Masayasu, Nishikawa, Taichirou, Itoh, Yoshihito, Yoshikawa, Toshikazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aging - pathology; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - complications; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; Cell Nucleus - pathology; Cell Nucleus Size; Chronic Disease; Diabetes Complications - pathology; Female; hepatocellular aging; hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatocytes - pathology; Humans; Liver Diseases - pathology; Liver Neoplasms - complications; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; non-B non-C non-alcoholic liver disease; Reference Values; relative nuclear size; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 1320-5463; 1440-1827
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2011.02743.x

We previously reported that hepatocellular aging can be assessed by measuring the nuclear size of hepatocytes. We attempted to elucidate whether this method is useful to identify the high risk group of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the patients with non‐B non‐C non‐alcoholic liver injury. Fourteen patients with HCC and 78 without HCC, both of whom presented with non‐B non‐C non‐alcoholic chronic liver injury and underwent liver biopsy, were selected. Twelve histologically normal liver tissues were selected as controls. The relative nuclear size (RNS) was calculated as the average nuclear size of the hepatocytes divided by that of lymphocytes. Multiple clinicopathological parameters were studied. The RNS values of normal livers ranged from 1.32 to 2.10, showing a gradual increase in an age‐dependent manner. The RNS values of the injured livers without HCC increased after middle age. Univariate analysis identified greater age, existence of diabetes and RNS, as significantly positive contributors and ALT value and the degree of steatosis as negative contributors for the occurrence of HCC. Only age and RNS retained significance in multivariate analysis. All of the HCC patients were older than 50 and showed RNS values higher than 2.00. Therefore, such patients are classified as a high risk group of HCC.