What Is Liver Cancer?

Liver cancer is abnormal cell growth in the liver. It is common throughout the world, with more than 1 million new cases occurring each year. It is diagnosed by the patient’s symptoms, medical history, physical exam, blood tests, and xrays. It is rare in the UK, male rates rank 140th of the 172 countries worldwide and female rates rank 136th. Liver cancer is likely caused by cycles of liver cell death and renewal.

Liver cancer is much more prevalent in many of the developing countries than in the industrialized world. After liver cancer is found and staged, your doctor will recommend one or more treatment options. The overall 5-year relative survival rate from liver cancer isless than 10%. Research into treatments for primary liver cancer is ongoing and advances are being made.

The only hope for patients who are at risk for liver cancer is regular surveillance sothat the cancers can be found early. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that started somewhere else in the body and spread to the liver (called secondary liver cancer or metastatic liver cancer). Screening for liver cancer is the only effective way of improving the outcome of treatment.

Since liver cancer is unusual, and its symptoms mimic many other conditions, there is commonly a delay in making the diagnosis while the cancer grows larger. Prognosis for liver cancer is poor so incidence and mortality patterns are very similar. Childhood liver cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver.

Treatment

Treatment varies depending on stage of the disease. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or liver transplantation. Treatment of liver cancer is based on the size and location of the tumor, the spread of the cancer to blood vessels, and nearby or distant organs. Treatment of liver cancer may involve surgery, interventional radiological procedures, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Treatment given after the surgery, to increase the chances of a cure, is called adjuvant therapy.