Overview of the general rules for the clinical and pathological study of primary liver cancer in Japan

Abstract

The General Rules for the Clinical and Pathological Study of Primary Liver Cancer provides guidelines for case management and research in Japan. These rules were initially published by an individual Cancer Study Group in Japan and some of them were translated into English. In general, most of the information on malignant diseases has come from North America and Europe, but few studies have been forthcoming from Asia. Since primary liver cancer is the third most common malignant disease in Japan and its clinical features are different from those in occidental society, clinical classifications have been established to aide research and treatment.