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Liver Cancer

What Is Liver Cancer?

Also called Hepatocellular carcinoma because it comes from hepatocytes, the main type of liver cell, liver cancer is a disease that is caused when the cells of the liver become abnormal, grow out of control, and form a cancerous tumor. This type of cancer is also referred to as primary liver cancer.

Cancer that spreads to the liver from other parts of the body is called metastatic cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 80 to 90% of all liver cancers. It occurs more often in men than in women, and mostly in people 50 to 60 years of age. It is the most common form of liver cancer in adults.

What Are The Causes?

Some research suggests that lifestyle factors, such as alcohol consumption and malnutrition, cause both cirrhosis and liver cancer. Aflatoxins, a group of chemicals produced by a mold that can contaminate certain foods such as peanuts, corn, grains and seeds, are carcinogens for liver cancer. However,

The development of liver cancer is believed to be related to infection with the hepatitis-B virus and hepatitis-C virus. Evidence of HBV infection is found in nearly one-fourth of Americans with liver cancer. Scientists are studying the relationship between HCV and cancer of the liver.

Researchers have also found that people with certain other liver diseases, such as cirrhosis of the liver, have a higher-than-average chance of developing primary liver cancer.

What Are The Symptoms?

Symptoms in most of the liver cancers do not appear until the late stages of the disease. However, sometimes they start early and can lead to an early diagnosis. These symptoms can also be caused by other cancers or conditions, and therefore if you have any of the following, you should see your healthcare provider as soon as possible:

  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Lack of appetite
  • Feeling very full after a small meal
  • Ongoing stomach pain
  • Swelling in the area of the stomach
  • Yellow-green coloration of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
  • Deterioration of your condition if you have chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis
  • Liver enlargement or a mass that can be felt in the area of the liver
  • Darkening of urine
  • Episodes of nausea and fever
  • Pain that develops in the upper abdomen on the right side, and that may spread to the back and shoulder.

Hepatocellular carcinoma can have different growth patterns:

  • Some begin as a single tumor that grows by expanding, and then spreads to other parts of the liver in the later stages.
  • A second type spreads tentacle-like through the liver and is not confined to a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with cirrhosis. It is the most common form found in the United States.
  • Cancer developing as nodules in several parts of the liver is the third type.

It should be noted, however, that many times the cancer does not fall into any category, and the pattern is not clear.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Liver cancer must be diagnosed by a healthcare provider. A medical history, a careful physical examination and the following tests are standard procedures:

  • Blood tests to determine how well the liver is functioning. These are used to check for tumor markers that are substances often found in abnormal amounts in patients with liver cancer. The tumor marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is useful in diagnosing liver cancer. An average of 50-70% of people who have liver cancer have elevated levels of AFP. However, other cancers can also cause elevated AFP levels.
  • X-rays of the chest and abdomen, angiograms (x-rays of blood vessels), CT scans (x-rays put together by computer), and MRI's are often used.
  • Liver scans using radioactive materials help identify abnormal areas in the liver.
  • The presence of liver cancer is confirmed with a biopsy.

What Is The Treatment?

Treatment depends on the stage of the disease, the condition of the liver, and the patient's age and general health. The following are standard treatments that are used:

  • Surgery (removal of tumorous cells)
  • Chemotherapy (treatment with anticancer drugs)
  • Radiation therapy (treatment with high-energy rays)
  • Biological therapy (treatment using substances that help the body fight the cancer

There is ongoing research in which doctors are studying new anticancer drugs and drug combinations. There are also studies being done that are concerned with finding new and better ways to give chemotherapy, such as putting the drugs directly into the liver. Other research approaches include cryotherapy (surgery that uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells) and combinations of several standard treatments.

As with all cancers early diagnosis is crucial to the ability to treat the cancer, therefore, ongoing healthcare is vital.

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