Everything you need to know about liver cancer
Liver cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the liver. Some cancers develop outside the liver and spread to the area. However, only cancers that start in the liver are described as liver cancer.
The liver, which is located below the right lung and under the ribcage, is one of the largest organs of the human body. It has a range of functions, including removing toxins from the body, and is crucial to survival.
Liver cancer consists of malignant hepatic tumors in or on the liver.
In the United States, around 22,000 men and 9,000 women are diagnosed with liver cancer every year. It is fatal in around 17,000 men and 8,000 women per year.
Fast facts on liver cancer
Liver cancer has a low survival rate
Major risk factors include excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis, and diabetes.
Symptoms generally do not appear until the cancer is advanced.
Treatment options for liver cancer include surgery and liver transplant.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of liver cancer tend not to be noticed until the cancer reaches an advanced stage.
Liver cancer may trigger the following effects:
jaundice
abdominal pain
unexplained weight loss
an enlarged liver
fatigue
nausea
vomiting
back pain
itching
fever
Stages
Staging a cancer allows a doctor to decide the course of treatment.
Liver cancer is categorized into four stages:
Stage I: The tumor is in the liver and has not spread to another organ or location.
Stage II: Either there are several small tumors that all remain in the liver, or one tumor that has reached a blood vessel.
Stage III: There are various large tumors or one tumor that has reached the main blood vessels. Cancer may have also reached the gallbladder.
Stage IV: The cancer has metastasized. This means that it has spread to other parts of the body.
Once the stage has been found, a course of treatment can begin.
Treatment
For people who have early-stage liver cancer that can be treated, only surgery that removes the tumors completely will lead to a chance of recovery.
Surgical options include the following:
Partial hepatectomy
When the tumor is small and occupies a small part of the liver, that part of the liver can be surgically removed.
However, in the U.S., many people with liver cancer have cirrhosis.
This means that a hepatectomy needs to leave behind enough healthy tissue for the liver to perform its necessary functions after the procedure.
It may be decided during surgery that this will not be the case, and the procedure may be canceled halfway through if the risk to the patient is deemed to be too great.
Partial hepatectomy is only considered for people with otherwise healthy liver function. This procedure is often not an option, as the cancer has spread to other parts of the liver or other organs in the body.
Liver surgery of this scale can lead to excessive bleeding and blood-clotting issues, as well as infections and pneumonia.
Liver transplant
Candidates for a liver transplant cannot have a tumor larger than 5 cm or several tumors larger than 3 cm. The risk of the cancer returning is too great to justify a procedure as risky as a transplant if the tumor is larger than this.
With a successful transplant, the risk of cancer returning is greatly reduced, and normal function can be restored.
However, the immune system can 'reject' the new organ, attacking it as a foreign body, and there are limited opportunities to carry out transplants. Only around 6,500 livers are available each year, and many are used to treat diseases other than liver cancer.
The drugs that suppress the immune system to accommodate a new liver can also lead to serious infections and, on occasion, even the spreading of already metastasized tumors.
Treatment for incurable tumors
Advanced liver cancer, on the other hand, has an extremely low survival rate. However, there are steps a medical team can take to treat cancer symptoms and slow the growth of the tumor.
Ablative therapy: Substances are injected directly into the tumor, such as alcohol. Lasers and radio waves can also be used.
Radiation therapy: Radiation is directed at the tumor or tumors, killing a significant number of them. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
Chemotherapy: Medications are injected into the liver to kill cancer cells. In chemoembolization, the blood supply to the tumor is blocked surgically or mechanically, and anti-cancer drugs are administered directly into the tumor.
Volunteer for clinical studies: When trials reach the human stage they are called clinical trials. Ask your doctor whether there are any available in which you may be able to take part.
Treatment options may vary, depending on the type of liver cancer.
Causes
The exact cause of liver cancer is not known.
However, most cases are linked to scarring of the liver, also referred to as cirrhosis.
According to the American Cancer Society, hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver cancer in the U.S.
People with both hepatitis B or C have a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer than other healthy individuals, as both forms of the disease can result in cirrhosis.
Some inherited liver diseases, such as hemochromatosis, cause cirrhosis and also increase the risk of liver cancer.
Other risk factors for liver cancer development include:
Type 2 diabetes: People with diabetes, especially if they also have hepatitis, or regularly consume a lot of alcohol, are more likely to develop liver cancer.
Family history: If a person's mother, father, brother, or sister has had liver cancer, the person has a higher risk than others of developing the cancer themselves.
Heavy alcohol use: Consuming alcohol regularly and in excessive amounts is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis in the U.S.
Long-term exposure to aflatoxins: An aflatoxin is a substance made by a fungus. It can be found in moldy wheat, groundnuts, corn, nuts, soybeans, and peanuts. The risk of liver cancer only increases following long-term exposure. This is less of a problem in industrialized nations.
Low immunity: People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS have a risk of liver cancer that is five times greater than other healthy individuals.
Obesity: Being obese raises the risk of developing many cancers, including liver cancer.
Gender: A higher percentage of males get liver cancer compared to females. Some experts believe this is not due to gender but lifestyle characteristics. On average, males tend to smoke and drink alcohol more than females.
Smoking: Individuals with hepatitis B or C face a higher risk of liver cancer if they smoke.
Arsenic: People who rely on water wells that contain naturally-occurring levels of the toxin arsenic may eventually have a significantly higher risk of developing several conditions or diseases, including liver cancer.
High-risk individuals for liver cancer should have regular screenings for liver cancer. Liver cancer, if not diagnosed early, is much more difficult to cure. The only way to know whether you have liver cancer early on is through screening because symptoms are either slight or nonexistent.
This includes people with hepatitis B and C, patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, and those that have cirrhosis as a result of hemochromatosis.
Outlook
The outlook for liver cancer is poor, as it is often diagnosed at a late stage, at which point it has already spread to other organs or other parts of the liver
The survival rate reduces as the staging gets closer to Stage IV.
People diagnosed at an early stage have a 5-year survival rate of 31 percent.
Once the cancer spreads, at a later stage, the same survival rate can be as low as 3 percent.
Treatment for liver cancer often involve serious surgery and carries a high risk of complications.
This can further affect the outlook for a person with liver cancer.
Liver cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the liver. Some cancers develop outside the liver and spread to the area. However, only cancers that start in the liver are described as liver cancer.
The liver, which is located below the right lung and under the ribcage, is one of the largest organs of the human body. It has a range of functions, including removing toxins from the body, and is crucial to survival.
Liver cancer consists of malignant hepatic tumors in or on the liver.
In the United States, around 22,000 men and 9,000 women are diagnosed with liver cancer every year. It is fatal in around 17,000 men and 8,000 women per year.
Fast facts on liver cancer
Liver cancer has a low survival rate
Major risk factors include excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis, and diabetes.
Symptoms generally do not appear until the cancer is advanced.
Treatment options for liver cancer include surgery and liver transplant.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of liver cancer tend not to be noticed until the cancer reaches an advanced stage.
Liver cancer may trigger the following effects:
jaundice
abdominal pain
unexplained weight loss
an enlarged liver
fatigue
nausea
vomiting
back pain
itching
fever
Stages
Staging a cancer allows a doctor to decide the course of treatment.
Liver cancer is categorized into four stages:
Stage I: The tumor is in the liver and has not spread to another organ or location.
Stage II: Either there are several small tumors that all remain in the liver, or one tumor that has reached a blood vessel.
Stage III: There are various large tumors or one tumor that has reached the main blood vessels. Cancer may have also reached the gallbladder.
Stage IV: The cancer has metastasized. This means that it has spread to other parts of the body.
Once the stage has been found, a course of treatment can begin.
Treatment
For people who have early-stage liver cancer that can be treated, only surgery that removes the tumors completely will lead to a chance of recovery.
Surgical options include the following:
Partial hepatectomy
When the tumor is small and occupies a small part of the liver, that part of the liver can be surgically removed.
However, in the U.S., many people with liver cancer have cirrhosis.
This means that a hepatectomy needs to leave behind enough healthy tissue for the liver to perform its necessary functions after the procedure.
It may be decided during surgery that this will not be the case, and the procedure may be canceled halfway through if the risk to the patient is deemed to be too great.
Partial hepatectomy is only considered for people with otherwise healthy liver function. This procedure is often not an option, as the cancer has spread to other parts of the liver or other organs in the body.
Liver surgery of this scale can lead to excessive bleeding and blood-clotting issues, as well as infections and pneumonia.
Liver transplant
Candidates for a liver transplant cannot have a tumor larger than 5 cm or several tumors larger than 3 cm. The risk of the cancer returning is too great to justify a procedure as risky as a transplant if the tumor is larger than this.
With a successful transplant, the risk of cancer returning is greatly reduced, and normal function can be restored.
However, the immune system can 'reject' the new organ, attacking it as a foreign body, and there are limited opportunities to carry out transplants. Only around 6,500 livers are available each year, and many are used to treat diseases other than liver cancer.
The drugs that suppress the immune system to accommodate a new liver can also lead to serious infections and, on occasion, even the spreading of already metastasized tumors.
Treatment for incurable tumors
Advanced liver cancer, on the other hand, has an extremely low survival rate. However, there are steps a medical team can take to treat cancer symptoms and slow the growth of the tumor.
Ablative therapy: Substances are injected directly into the tumor, such as alcohol. Lasers and radio waves can also be used.
Radiation therapy: Radiation is directed at the tumor or tumors, killing a significant number of them. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
Chemotherapy: Medications are injected into the liver to kill cancer cells. In chemoembolization, the blood supply to the tumor is blocked surgically or mechanically, and anti-cancer drugs are administered directly into the tumor.
Volunteer for clinical studies: When trials reach the human stage they are called clinical trials. Ask your doctor whether there are any available in which you may be able to take part.
Treatment options may vary, depending on the type of liver cancer.
Causes
The exact cause of liver cancer is not known.
However, most cases are linked to scarring of the liver, also referred to as cirrhosis.
According to the American Cancer Society, hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver cancer in the U.S.
People with both hepatitis B or C have a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer than other healthy individuals, as both forms of the disease can result in cirrhosis.
Some inherited liver diseases, such as hemochromatosis, cause cirrhosis and also increase the risk of liver cancer.
Other risk factors for liver cancer development include:
Type 2 diabetes: People with diabetes, especially if they also have hepatitis, or regularly consume a lot of alcohol, are more likely to develop liver cancer.
Family history: If a person's mother, father, brother, or sister has had liver cancer, the person has a higher risk than others of developing the cancer themselves.
Heavy alcohol use: Consuming alcohol regularly and in excessive amounts is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis in the U.S.
Long-term exposure to aflatoxins: An aflatoxin is a substance made by a fungus. It can be found in moldy wheat, groundnuts, corn, nuts, soybeans, and peanuts. The risk of liver cancer only increases following long-term exposure. This is less of a problem in industrialized nations.
Low immunity: People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS have a risk of liver cancer that is five times greater than other healthy individuals.
Obesity: Being obese raises the risk of developing many cancers, including liver cancer.
Gender: A higher percentage of males get liver cancer compared to females. Some experts believe this is not due to gender but lifestyle characteristics. On average, males tend to smoke and drink alcohol more than females.
Smoking: Individuals with hepatitis B or C face a higher risk of liver cancer if they smoke.
Arsenic: People who rely on water wells that contain naturally-occurring levels of the toxin arsenic may eventually have a significantly higher risk of developing several conditions or diseases, including liver cancer.
High-risk individuals for liver cancer should have regular screenings for liver cancer. Liver cancer, if not diagnosed early, is much more difficult to cure. The only way to know whether you have liver cancer early on is through screening because symptoms are either slight or nonexistent.
This includes people with hepatitis B and C, patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, and those that have cirrhosis as a result of hemochromatosis.
Outlook
The outlook for liver cancer is poor, as it is often diagnosed at a late stage, at which point it has already spread to other organs or other parts of the liver
The survival rate reduces as the staging gets closer to Stage IV.
People diagnosed at an early stage have a 5-year survival rate of 31 percent.
Once the cancer spreads, at a later stage, the same survival rate can be as low as 3 percent.
Treatment for liver cancer often involve serious surgery and carries a high risk of complications.
This can further affect the outlook for a person with liver cancer.
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