Objectives To investigate the value of gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB)–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for noninvasive subtype differentiation of HCCs according to the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Digestive System Tumors in a western population.
Methods This retrospective study included 262 resected lesions in 240 patients with preoperative Gd-EOB-enhanced MRI. Subtypes were assigned by two pathologists. Gd-EOB-enhanced MRI datasets were assessed by two radiologists for qualitative and quantitative imaging features, including imaging features defined in LI-RADS v2018 and area of hepatobiliary phase (HBP) iso- to hyperintensity.
Results The combination of non-rim arterial phase hyperenhancement with non-peripheral portal venous washout was more common in “not otherwise specified” (nos-ST) (88/168, 52%) than other subtypes, in particular macrotrabecular massive (mt-ST) (3/15, 20%), chromophobe (ch-ST) (1/8, 13%), and scirrhous subtypes (sc-ST) (2/9, 22%) (p = 0.035). Macrovascular invasion was associated with mt-ST (5/16, p = 0.033) and intralesional steatosis with steatohepatitic subtype (sh-ST) (28/32, p < 0.001). Predominant iso- to hyperintensity in the HBP was only present in nos-ST (16/174), sh-ST (3/33), and clear cell subtypes (cc-ST) (3/13) (p = 0.031). Associations were found for the following non-imaging parameters: age and sex, as patients with fibrolamellar subtype (fib-ST) were younger (median 44 years (19–66), p < 0.001) and female (4/5, p = 0.023); logarithm of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was elevated in the mt-ST (median 397 µg/l (74–5370), p < 0.001); type II diabetes mellitus was more frequent in the sh-ST (20/33, p = 0.027).
Conclusions Gd-EOB-MRI reproduces findings reported in the literature for extracellular contrast-enhanced MRI and CT and may be a valuable tool for noninvasive HCC subtype differentiation.
Clinical relevance statement Better characterization of the heterogeneous phenotypes of HCC according to the revised WHO classification potentially improves both diagnostic accuracy and the precision of therapeutic stratification for HCC.
