Development and growth pattern of small hepatocellular carcinomas in woodchucks--analysis of an animal model of human hepatocellular carcinoma by ultrasonography [Canevas de développement et de croissance de petits cancers hépatocellulaires chez les marmottes communes - analyse d'un modèle humain de cancer hépatocellulaire par ultrasonographie].

Résumé

Woodchucks are very useful animal models of human hepatocellular carcinoma. It is important to detect carcinomas in their early stage to study the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. By ultrasonography (echogram) we found tumors less than 10 mm in diameter. Echographically all of the tumors except one were hypo-echoic in their early stages. One tumor showed a hyper-echoic pattern which grew very rapidly. Pathologically they were all well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma and there were no differences between hypo- and hyper-echoic tumors. When volumes of tumors were less than 10 cm3 they grew very slowly but when tumors were larger than 10 cm3 their volume increased very rapidly. The ultrasonographic patterns of large tumors were iso-echoic and mosaic, as in human hepatocellular carcinoma.