Definition:

Condition or entity that is not cancerous. The condition or entity does not spread to other parts of the body (metastasize) and, except for infections, does not invade into and destroy adjacent tissues.

Comments:

• Benign entities that frequently are encountered in patients with cirrhosis or other risk factors for HCC include:
• Cysts
• Hemangiomas
• Vascular anomalies
• Perfusion alterations
• Hepatic fat deposition or sparing
• Hypertrophic pseudomasses
• Confluent fibrosis
• Focal scars
• In addition, the cirrhotic liver is characterized by the presence of innumerable cirrhosis-associated nodules. While these nodules represent a histological spectrum, in most patients the vast majority of these nodules are cirrhotic nodules (CNs). CNs have benign histological features without cellular atypia or other evidence of dysplasia/malignancy.
• Benign entities usually are categorized LR-1 (definitely benign) or LR-2 (probably benign), depending on radiologist’s level of certainty. Benign entities with atypical or nonspecific features may be categorized LR-3 or higher.