Liver cancer is a cancer that starts in the liver. For a thorough understanding of liver cancer it is important to know a brief summary of how the liver works and functions. Within the body the liver can be characterized as the largest organ. It is located below the right lung and under the ribcage. The liver is divided into two lobes: the right lobe and left lobe. Protein is obtained by the liver from a set of sources. The portal vein carries nutrient rich blood from the intestines to the liver and the hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen. Multiple types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of many various cells. Tumors that are cancerous are termed malignant and tumors that do not contain cancer are termed benign. Liver cancer is characterized by the presence of malignant hepatic tumors -- tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hēpar, stem hēpat-). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction.
There are several types of liver cancer:
* Hemangiomas: These are the most common type of benign liver tumor. They start in blood vessels. Most of these tumors do not cause symptoms, they do not need treatment. Some may bleed and need to be removed if it is mild to severe.
* Hepatic adenomas: These benign epithelial liver tumors develop in the liver and are also an uncommon occurrence. They are, in most cases, located in the right hepatic lobe and are frequently seen as solitary. The size of adenomas range from 1 to 30 cm. Symptoms associated with hepatic adenomas are all associate with large lesions which can cause intense abdominal pain. Over the last few decades there has been an increase with occurrences of this specific type of adenoma. The prognosis for these tumors has still not been mastered. Some correlations have been made such as malignant transformation, spontaneous hemorrhage, and rupture.
* Focal nodular hyperplasia: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is the second most common tumor of the liver. This tumor is the result of a congenital arteriovenous malformation hepatocyte response. This process is one in which all normal constituents of the liver are present, but the pattern by which they are presented is abnormal. Even though those conditions exist the liver still seems to perform in the normal range.
The American Liver Foundation founded 33 years ago; it gives great resources and support to patients and families battling with this prognosis. The American Liver Foundation claims that liver cancer is among the ten major causes of death. Knowing what the liver does and how important it is to human bodies can help to understand how serious liver cancer is, and ways people can help themselves be less likely to have this diagnosis.
* Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Patients who develop this cancer normally are in the younger population. These tumors also contain a variation that consists of the HCC and cholangiocarcinoma. The cells of the bile duct coexist next to the bile ducts that drain the bile produced by the hepatocytes of the liver. The cancers within the blood vessel cells within the liver are known has hemangioendotheliomas.
* Hepatoblastoma: Most of these tumors form in the right lobe. Children primarily develop hepatoblastoma and the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body.
* Cholangiocarcinomas (bile duct cancers): Cholangiocarcinomas account for 1 or 2 out of every 10 cases of liver cancer. These cancers start in the small tubes (called bile ducts) that carry bile to the gallbladder.
* Angiosarcomas and hemangiosarcomas: These are rare forms of cancer that start in the blood vessels of the liver. These tumors grow quickly. Often by the time they are found they are too widespread to be removed. Treatment may help slow the disease, but most patients do not live more than a year after these cancers are found.
Liver cancer can also be a secondary development. Cancer of these types are called metastatic cancer, a cancer that started in a different location and spread to the liver. Some cancers it has been associated with include: colorectal cancer; lung cancer; breast cancer; esophageal cancer; and a few others. About 5 percent of the time, metastases are discovered but the primary tumor cannot be identified. The treatment of these metastases is dictated by their location rather than their origin. Metastases spread in the three ways - by local extension from the tumor to the surrounding tissues, through the bloodstream to distant sites, or through the lymphatic system to neighboring or distant lymph nodes. Each kind of cancer may have a typical route of spread. The liver is a common site of metastatic disease. The portal vein drains the abdominal viscera (internal organs) and is presumably the conduit for metastases from tumors of the colon and rectum, stomach, pancreas, biliary tree, and small intestine. Breast cancer commonly involves the liver as do lung cancer and lymphoma.
A PET-CT scan may be suggested if doctors are considering surgery as a treatment. This combines a CT scan – which takes a series of x-rays to build up a three dimensional picture with a PET scan – which uses low dose radiation to measure the activity of cells in different parts of the body. It gives more detailed information about the part of the body being scanned. PET-CT scans are a new type of scan and not yet widely available, so a patient may have to travel to a specialist centre to have one. The correct treatment of liver cancer can mean the difference between life and death. Not all patients with cancers in the liver are potentially curable. These are some of the treatments available: Surgery, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Photodynamic Therapy, Hyperthermia, Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery.
There are several types of liver cancer:
* Hemangiomas: These are the most common type of benign liver tumor. They start in blood vessels. Most of these tumors do not cause symptoms, they do not need treatment. Some may bleed and need to be removed if it is mild to severe.
* Hepatic adenomas: These benign epithelial liver tumors develop in the liver and are also an uncommon occurrence. They are, in most cases, located in the right hepatic lobe and are frequently seen as solitary. The size of adenomas range from 1 to 30 cm. Symptoms associated with hepatic adenomas are all associate with large lesions which can cause intense abdominal pain. Over the last few decades there has been an increase with occurrences of this specific type of adenoma. The prognosis for these tumors has still not been mastered. Some correlations have been made such as malignant transformation, spontaneous hemorrhage, and rupture.
* Focal nodular hyperplasia: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is the second most common tumor of the liver. This tumor is the result of a congenital arteriovenous malformation hepatocyte response. This process is one in which all normal constituents of the liver are present, but the pattern by which they are presented is abnormal. Even though those conditions exist the liver still seems to perform in the normal range.
The American Liver Foundation founded 33 years ago; it gives great resources and support to patients and families battling with this prognosis. The American Liver Foundation claims that liver cancer is among the ten major causes of death. Knowing what the liver does and how important it is to human bodies can help to understand how serious liver cancer is, and ways people can help themselves be less likely to have this diagnosis.
* Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Patients who develop this cancer normally are in the younger population. These tumors also contain a variation that consists of the HCC and cholangiocarcinoma. The cells of the bile duct coexist next to the bile ducts that drain the bile produced by the hepatocytes of the liver. The cancers within the blood vessel cells within the liver are known has hemangioendotheliomas.
* Hepatoblastoma: Most of these tumors form in the right lobe. Children primarily develop hepatoblastoma and the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body.
* Cholangiocarcinomas (bile duct cancers): Cholangiocarcinomas account for 1 or 2 out of every 10 cases of liver cancer. These cancers start in the small tubes (called bile ducts) that carry bile to the gallbladder.
* Angiosarcomas and hemangiosarcomas: These are rare forms of cancer that start in the blood vessels of the liver. These tumors grow quickly. Often by the time they are found they are too widespread to be removed. Treatment may help slow the disease, but most patients do not live more than a year after these cancers are found.
Liver cancer can also be a secondary development. Cancer of these types are called metastatic cancer, a cancer that started in a different location and spread to the liver. Some cancers it has been associated with include: colorectal cancer; lung cancer; breast cancer; esophageal cancer; and a few others. About 5 percent of the time, metastases are discovered but the primary tumor cannot be identified. The treatment of these metastases is dictated by their location rather than their origin. Metastases spread in the three ways - by local extension from the tumor to the surrounding tissues, through the bloodstream to distant sites, or through the lymphatic system to neighboring or distant lymph nodes. Each kind of cancer may have a typical route of spread. The liver is a common site of metastatic disease. The portal vein drains the abdominal viscera (internal organs) and is presumably the conduit for metastases from tumors of the colon and rectum, stomach, pancreas, biliary tree, and small intestine. Breast cancer commonly involves the liver as do lung cancer and lymphoma.
A PET-CT scan may be suggested if doctors are considering surgery as a treatment. This combines a CT scan – which takes a series of x-rays to build up a three dimensional picture with a PET scan – which uses low dose radiation to measure the activity of cells in different parts of the body. It gives more detailed information about the part of the body being scanned. PET-CT scans are a new type of scan and not yet widely available, so a patient may have to travel to a specialist centre to have one. The correct treatment of liver cancer can mean the difference between life and death. Not all patients with cancers in the liver are potentially curable. These are some of the treatments available: Surgery, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Photodynamic Therapy, Hyperthermia, Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery.
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