Distinct clinicopathological phenotype of hepatocellular carcinoma with ethoxybenzyl-magnetic resonance imaging hyperintensity: association with gene expression signature

•We revealed a useful imaging feature on the treatment of HCC.•HCCs which highly enhanced in late phase of EOB-MRI have low malignant properties.•The clinical features were supported by global gene expression analysis.•SLCO1B3 expression is significantly related to uptaking of Gd-EOB-DTPA.

BackgroundAlthough hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is mostly a lower intensity lesion in the hepatobiliary phase on gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, some HCCs were shown as a higher intensity lesion (high HCC). This study aimed to reveal the clinicopathological and biological properties of high HCC.MethodsPatients who underwent curative hepatectomy as the first treatment for HCC were included. HCC was defined as high HCC if the ratio between the signal intensity of the HCC and the background liver was greater than or equal to 1.0. We retrospectively performed clinicopathological and global gene expression analyses.ResultsOf the 77 patients, 14 had high HCC. Serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II levels in high HCC were lower, and the high HCCs were well differentiated. The 3-year disease-free survival rates in high HCC and low HCC patients were 90% and 54%, respectively (P = .035). Overall survival did not differ significantly. Global gene expression analysis revealed that SLCO1B3 was upregulated in high HCC.ConclusionsClinicopathological analysis revealed low-grade malignancy in high HCCs compared with low HCCs. The expression of SLCO1B3 was key to the hyperintensity in the hepatobiliary phase of ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid magnetic resonance imaging.