Clinical case of difficult differential diagnosis between liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma associated with HCV infection in a patient with prolonged alcohol exposure

Abstract

This paper presents a clinical case of large focal liver mass in a 55-year old patient with HCV-associated liver cirrhosis and prolonged high-dose alcohol exposure. Given the inconsistency between clinical data and ultrasound examination results as well as large focal mass in the liver on contrast-enhanced MRI with corresponding background of long-term high-dose alcohol use, laparoscopy and liver biopsy was performed. Due to the timely histopathologic diagnosis, hepatocellular carcinoma in that patient was ruled out, diagnosis of combined (viral and toxic) mono- and multilobular liver cirrhosis was confirmed and successful antiviral therapy was performed.