The liver is a frequent site of metastases from various organs,
primarily the gastrointestinal tract, the lung and breast.
Metastases can be brought to the liver through the systemic
blood or through the portal circulation. Implantation on the
surface of the liver may occur, particularly in ovarian
malignancies., |General Gross Description| Metastases often tend
to be multiple, nodular and clearly demarcated from the rest of
the liver tissue. Very often, the growth of the tumor outstrips
blood supply with the development of central necrosis. This
central necrosis is visible grossly as an area of umbilication
of the tan to white nodules. The umbilication is particularly
obvious on the cut surface. Depending on the rate of the growth
of the tumor, necrosis and hemorrhage can often be seen. The
involvement of the liver by metastatic tumor growth can be quite
extensive. In some cases, as much as 80% of the liver parenchyma
may be replaced by the tumor. |General Microscopic Description|
Histologically, the tumor r