Pathologic diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma : a report of the international consensus group for hepatocellular neoplasia

This is a consensus paper in which eastern and western pathologists agreed on a new classification and nomenclature of incipient hepatocellular carcinoma (the HCC at the earliest growth phase). The paper is important because criteria for the diagnosis of small and well differentiated HCC are now firmly established and internationally accepted so that all liver pathologists worldwide can use the same language and apply the same diagnostic features. Criteria are very important to document this form of HCC and to distinguish it from immediate but not malignant precursors such as high grade dysplastic nodules and therefore for the clinical and therapeutic management of patients. Several international meetings and 3 years were needed to obtain this consensus.