Involvement of arterial blood supply in the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract The aim of this study was to clarify whether arterial blood supply by tumor vessels was involved in the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Proliferative activity was evaluated by the tumor volume doubling time determined on ultrasonography and the number of silver-staining nucleolar organizer regions in biopsy specimen. The degree of arterial blood supply to the tumor was evaluated based on the degree of contrast enhancement during the early phase on incremental dynamic computed tomography. The tumor volume doubling time negatively correlated with the number of silver-staining nucleolar organizer regions. The number of silver-staining nucleolar organizer regions in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was significantly increased with the increase of arterial blood supply. In well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas, the number of silver-staining nucleolar organizer regions in the group showing arterial blood supply on computed tomography was significantly increased compared with that in the group without arterial blood supply to the tumor. These findings suggest that the arterial blood supply is involved in the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma.