General and Systemic Histopathology, C601&C602
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I think it is possible
to see the nodules of malignancy even with no magnification. If nothing
else, you can see areas of the liver tissue are distinctly different from
one another. See this slide with the virtual microscope. |
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This cancer generally arises in a background of cirrhosis and represents a primary malignancy of the hepatocyte. You will see there is no lobular organization in the area of the tumor. Note the marked degree of nuclear atypia and the great number of mitoses. You are also likely to see many bizarre mitotic figures. There may be bile production by the malignant cells, but of course, there are no biliary hookups. This is a malignancy of hepatocyte origin, and is different from so called biliary carcinoma, which arises from the ductal elements of the liver (or pancreas for that matter). |