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The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, and because it
performs so many vital functions, you can't live without it.
While there are several different kinds of "primary" liver cancer - cancer
that actually begins in the liver itself - the main form is called
hepatocellular carcinoma. It accounts for approximately 85 percent of all
liver cancers. The liver is also susceptible because cancer from other
organs can metastasize, or spread, to the liver - especially colorectal
cancer.
Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus, exposure to certain toxins
and chemicals, oral contraceptives, anabolic steroids and age increase your
risk. Approximately 5 percent of people who have cirrhosis (either due to
alcohol abuse, a genetic disorder that causes iron accumulation in the
liver or some other cause) go on to develop liver cancer. Some studies have
shown that there's a link to tobacco use but others have found no cause and
effect.
Unexplained weight loss, fatigue, feeling full after a small meal, lack of
appetite, persistent abdominal pain, swelling of the stomach area, yellow
coloration of the skin and eyes, and a mass that can be felt on the liver
are among the symptoms of liver cancer.
Treatment of liver cancer can be difficult since it's a vital organ and so
many of the diseases that cause cancer have already weakened the liver.
When a cure is not likely, the treatment can help relieve symptoms and
improve quality of life.
There are three main treatment strategies:
1. Surgery to remove the cancer and sometimes lymph nodes
2. Radiation
3. Chemotherapy
Surgery is the only way to actually cure liver cancer. If the cancer has
spread beyond the liver, it's not possible to cure it with surgery. And
even if the cancer is contained within the liver, surgically removing all
the cancer may be difficult.
But new research is being done to make cancer cells more vulnerable to
radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers are also testing new forms of
chemotherapy in clinical trials. And cryosurgery, in which the tumor is
literally frozen to death, is also offering new hope in some cases, as is a
form of high-frequency sound waves that can destroy tumors. Liver
transplants are rarely an option.
- The jury is still out on the link between tobacco and liver cancer, but
don't smoke anyway.
- Get vaccinated against hepatitis B (including children).
- Prevent hepatitis C infections.
- Limit alcohol.
- Find and treat inheritable diseases that cause cirrhosis.
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