What is focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver?

What Is Focal Nodular Hyperplasia (FNH)? FNH is a benign tumor, or lesion, that forms in the liver. These tumors are not cancer. FNH is more common in women, mostly between the ages of 20 and 50. It’s the 2nd most common type of benign liver tumor (liver hemangiomas are the most common).

Can focal nodular hyperplasia become cancerous?

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign condition of the liver that is often discovered incidentally on radiological investigation. FNH has no malignant potential, is rarely symptomatic and surgical intervention is almost never required.

Does FNH cause pain?

In conclusion, FNH is a benign lesion of the liver that can cause pain that is associated with the increase in size of the lesion. Surgical resection is usually performed for persistent pain or for lesions that are suspicious on radiological and pathological investigations.

Does FNH need surgery?

It is difficult to select the surgical indication for patients with benign disease, such as FNH. FNH itself is a benign disease, thus it does not require surgical resection unless symptoms persist.

Can alcohol cause focal nodular hyperplasia?

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and liver cell adenoma (LCA) are benign hepatocellular tumors, found mainly in females in association with the use of oral contraceptives. In adult male clinical patients and in retrospective male autopsy cases, both tumors were often found in association with chronic abuse of alcohol.

Is FNH considered a liver disease?

FNH is a nontumorous benign nodular disease of the liver and the second most common benign tumor in the liver (7,9-11). Although the disease is not limited by age and sex, it is more common in women aged 20–30 years. Most FNH patients have no clinical symptoms and are diagnosed by imaging and physical examination.

Does FNH go away?

It has been shown, using radiological approaches, that most FNH remain stable, or even regress, over a long follow-up period. In addition, it is extremely rare that FNH were discovered in elderly. However, to our knowledge, there is no pathological report illustrating the regression of FNH.

Does alcohol affect focal nodular hyperplasia?

How is focal nodular hyperplasia treated?

Traditionally, open or laparoscopic resection of FNH (associated or not with hepatic artery ligation) has been advocated as the preferred curative treatment in the case of changes in clinic, radiological or clinicoradiological characteristics (1-5, 7-20).