ArticleHepatology (Baltimore, Md.)2020
Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters (VETC) Is a Powerful Predictor of Aggressive Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Article in Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04666220 (Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters), which is not on this map. Cited by 132 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters (VETC), Prognostic and Predictive Value in Renal Cell Carcinoma and Adrenal Gland Carcinoma
Who cites it
132 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 221 citations in OpenAlex.
- Radiomics-Based AI for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Machine Learning in Detecting Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Diagnostic performance based on MRI for preoperative of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters in hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.La Radiologia medica · 2025Pooled it
- MRI imaging features for predicting macrotrabecular-massive subtype hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European radiology · 2024Pooled it
- The prognostic value of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2024Pooled it
- Development and Validation of a Novel Nomogram for Predicting Vessels that Encapsulate Tumor Cluster in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer CenterTrial
- Foundation Model-Enabled Pathology-Informed MRI Model for Preoperative Prediction of Vessels Encapsulating Tumor Clusters in Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Preoperative prediction of vessels encapsulating tumor clusters in hepatocellular carcinoma based on CT findings and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin level.International journal of clinical oncology · 2026Article
- Preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI may help predict macrotrabecular-massive subtype and postoperative recurrence in small hepatocellular carcinoma (≤ 3 cm).European radiology · 2026Article
- Can machine learning predict vessels that encapsulates tumor cluster ptterns and histological differentiation in solitary small (< 5 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma?Surgery today · 2026Article
- Integration of histopathology and molecular features for the classification of benign and malignant hepatocellular neoplasms.Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology · 2026Review
- Beyond Diagnosis: Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Imaging Biomarkers for Tumor Biology, Prognosis, and Clinical Decision-Making in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Korean journal of radiology · 2026Review
- The vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) pattern is a negative predictor for first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors alone in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Journal of gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Spatial analysis identifies LAMTOR2 overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma with vessels encapsulating tumor clusters.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Vessels encapsulating tumor clusters is associated with impaired efficacy of adjuvant immunotherapy in resected hepatocellular carcinoma.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- MRI radiomics combined with clinical factors to predict vessels encapsulating tumor clusters and early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma (≤ 3 cm).BMC medical imaging · 2026Article
- Vessels encapsulating tumor clusters predict better outcomes in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with atezolizumab-bevacizumab.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2026Article
- CRAFITY and PALBI Define a Machine Learning-Supported Prognostic Framework in Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Data from an Eastern European Cohort with Low Macrotrabecular-Massive Prevalence.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dissecting the Transcriptomic Profile of CD163Liver cancer · 2026Article
- Vessels That Encapsulate Tumor Cluster+ Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinomas Benefit of Antiangiogenic Therapy.Liver cancer · 2026Article
72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We investigated the clinical significance of a vascular growth pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the vessels that encapsulate tumor clusters (VETC), previously linked to HCC metastatic dissemination. VETC was assessed in a large multi-institutional cohort of 541 resected HCCs from Italy, Korea and Japan, and matched against a full spectrum of clinical and pathological variables. The VETC phenotype (defined as ≥ 55% tumor area by CD34 immunostaining) was easily reproducible and reliably detectable in whole sections and small-sized tissues of tissue microarray. VETC HCCs represented 18.9% of the whole series, the lowest proportion occurring in the cohort with smallest tumors (8.7%, Japanese series). VETC was significantly associated with several clinical and pathological features such as high alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) level, tumor size greater than 5 cm, poor differentiation, macrotrabecular pattern, less compact pattern, less inflammatory infiltrates, and frequent microvascular invasion. VETC was associated with early recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.52 [1.06-2.19], P = 0.023), disease-free survival (HR: 1.66 [1.21-2.27], P = 0.002), and overall survival (HR: 2.26 [1.37-3.72], P = 0.001) at multivariable analysis. VETC affected the survival in HCC patients stratified for etiology (hepatitis C virus/hepatitis B virus), vascular invasion, and specific molecular phenotypes (β-catenin/GS+). This distinct vascular pattern was enriched in the recently reported macrotrabecular massive HCC subtype, which was seen in 7.8% (42 of 541) of patients and associated with high AFP levels and poor differentiation. Conclusion: The VETC pattern was found to be easily detectable in a consistent fraction of HCC and a powerful pathological finding affecting survival. This study suggests that the heterogeneous pattern of angiogenesis is involved in HCC behavior.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.