Liver Cancer

What is Liver Cancer?

Liver cancer is a type of cancer that actually starts out in the liver. While there are other cancers that may spread into the liver, this type of cancer actually originates there. New instances of liver cancer are now on the rise, though at one time they were quite rare. Unfortunately liver cancer is rarely ever discovered while still in its’ early stages, which means that when diagnosed, the prognosis is usually a bad one. Although the survival rate of this cancer is very slim, you can do a variety of things to protect yourself from ever getting this type of cancer such as protecting yourself from cirrhosis off the liver or from contracting hepatitis.

Liver Cancer Statistics

While less than 20,000 new cases of liver cancer are diagnosed each year, about 16,000 people die from it each year due to the bad prognosis of this type of cancer. Unfortunately most people only have between a 5-7% chance of ever surviving this cancer, although those percentages can vary depending on age, gender, and race.

Causes of Liver Cancer

The cause of liver cancer actually goes back to cells that begin to grow abnormally. Doctors seem to think that something in the DNA is damaged, which results in the abnormal cell growth that is liver cancer. There are a variety of things that can cause this damage that results in cancer. Heavy drinking can contribute to cirrhosis of the liver, which is a type of damage that can go on to lead to liver cancer. Also, having Hepatitis B or C can also lead to damage that results in cancer forming as well. In some cases smoking has even been thought to cause enough damage for liver cancer to develop too.

Liver Cancer Symptoms

During the early stages of liver cancer, there really are very few symptoms that are felt by people, which is the reason that it is so hard to detect in the early stages. However, and time goes by, there are several symptoms of the cancer that may appear. Some of the symptoms of this type of cancer include weight loss, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, enlarged liver, and jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes. If any of these symptoms are experienced, usually the cancer is in a more advanced stage.

Treatments for Liver Cancer

There are several different treatments for liver cancer and the treatment that is used will greatly depend on the stage of the cancer that is being dealt with. If the cancer is localized in the liver and has not yet spread, surgery is often one of the best treatment options. Alcohol injections are used in some cases as well and injected right into the tumors in the liver to kill the cancer cells. Both radiation and chemotherapy treatments are also used in treating this type of cancer. In extreme cases, a liver transplant may also be a treatment option when other treatments are not expected to work.

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