hepatocellular carcinomas with abundant fibrous stroma

The scirrhous variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (S-HCC) and fibrolamellar HCC (FL-HCC) are less common subtypes of HCC that are characterised by abundant fibrous stroma. Here, we aimed to investigate differences in the tumour microenvironment and the tumour epithelial cell characteristics of S-HCC and FL-HCC.

Types

 scirrhous variant of HCC
 fibrolamellar HCC

S-HCC and FL-HCC are subtypes of HCC with extensive fibrosis, and the nature of the fibrous stroma differs between them. While the stroma of FL-HCC is composed of dense lamellated collagenous bands with sparse cellular components, S-HCC demonstrates more abundant CAF and tumour-infiltrating macrophages, and stemness-related marker expression, suggesting the presence of a complex tumour microenvironment that may influence the aggressive behaviour of these tumours.