While liver cancer is the most common type of cancer around the world, in the United States it doesn't even make the National Cancer Institute's top 12 list of most common cancers in the US. In spite of this, liver cancer is the 6th deadliest cancer in the US with an estimated 19,000 deaths in 2010. Liver cancer patients have a five year survival rate of 13.8 percent from the time they are diagnosed. The National Cancer Institute reports that the long-term trend of liver cancer incidence in the United States is on the increase, making it one to watch.
In 2010, an estimated 17,430 men and 6,690 women (24,120) will be diagnosed with liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is cancer that originates in the liver, as opposed to secondary liver cancer in which the tumor develops in an adjacent organ (pancreas, colon, stomach, lungs, breasts), and metastasize (spreads) to the liver. Liver cancer (or any cancer) is always named for the organ in which it originates. In the United States, secondary liver cancer is more common than primary liver cancer.
There are two types of liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma, the most common type and mostly occurs in men and patients with cirrhosis of the liver. It usually confines itself to the liver and rarely spreads to other organs. The other type develops in the small bile ducts within the liver and is called bile duct cancer or intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and is more common among women.
Although researchers are unsure about the exact causes of liver cancer, research built up over time has connected the disease with some specific risk factors and issues which include:
* Smoking
* Alcohol Abuse
* Anabolic Steroids
* Exposure to certain chemicals (aflatoxin, vinyl chloride, thorium dioxide, arsenic and radium.
* Patients with hepatitis B and C.
* Cirrhosis of the liver
* Liver flukes (parasites)
* Hereditary defects
* Obesity
* Diabetes.
The symptoms of liver cancer are often asymptomatic in the early stages, meaning they are not noticeable. When they do become noticeable, the cancer is already in the later stages, unfortunately.
The most common liver cancer symptoms include:
* Abdominal pain (most common sign of liver cancer)
* Unexplained weight loss
* Loss of appetite
* Unexplained fever
* Jaundice
* Nausea
* Dark urine
* Excessive skin itching
* Confusion and increased sleepiness
* Weakness and feeling tired
* Unexplained muscle wasting
Treatment methods for liver cancer vary by patient and depend on: tumor size and location, cancer stage, patient's health, and age. The main treatment methods for liver cancer are described below.
Surgery: A partial hepatectomy involves removing a portion of the liver where the tumor is located. A total hepatectomy is the complete removal of the liver followed by a liver transplant. Two other types of surgery involve killing the tumor without a hepatectomy. Cryosurgery kills the cancerous cells with liquid nitrogen by "freezing" them to death. RadioFrequencyAblation (RFA) does the opposite by "cooking" the cancer cells to death using a radiofrequency current.
Chemotherapy and Radiation: Chemotherapy uses a single drug, or a combination of drugs, and is a systemic treatment (delivered throughout the body) that aims to kill cancer cells or stop abnormal growth by halting the cancer cell division process. Radiation Therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancerous cells. Both chemotherapy and radiation can be administered and delivered in a variety of ways, best suited to the patient. Both treatments also have notorious side effects including: hair loss (chemo), weight loss, nausea and vomiting, vulnerability to infections, weakness and severe fatigue.
Other Methods:
Percutaneous Ethanol Injection uses ethanol to destroy the tumor through dehydration and altering the cellular structure. The ethanol is delivered by a needed directed at the tumor.
Portal Vein Embolization is a treatment approach where the portal vein blood supply to the tumor is blocked resulting in a reduction in the part of the liver the tumor is located, while increasing the size of the other part of the liver. This procedure is a pre-surgical step to removing tumors that are otherwise too large. Portal vein embolization is a pre-operatory step for those patients that need surgery but the tumor either is too big to be removed, or the tissue that is required to be removed is too big while the healthy liver tissue left behind is too small.
Interstitial Laser Photocoagulation uses a thin optical fiber, inserted directly into the tumor, and a laser device. When the laser light is emitted, the cancerous cells undergo a thermal "death.". Interstitial macrowave is a thermal type therapy which kills the tumor by heating them to a high temperature (50 degrees C) for an extended period of time.
Biologic therapy (also called immunotherapy) uses substances produced in a laboratory that copy those naturally produced by the body to boost, direct, or restore the natural defenses and immune system of the body to fight the cancer, or decrease the side-effects caused by other cancer treatments.
In 2010, an estimated 17,430 men and 6,690 women (24,120) will be diagnosed with liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is cancer that originates in the liver, as opposed to secondary liver cancer in which the tumor develops in an adjacent organ (pancreas, colon, stomach, lungs, breasts), and metastasize (spreads) to the liver. Liver cancer (or any cancer) is always named for the organ in which it originates. In the United States, secondary liver cancer is more common than primary liver cancer.
There are two types of liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma, the most common type and mostly occurs in men and patients with cirrhosis of the liver. It usually confines itself to the liver and rarely spreads to other organs. The other type develops in the small bile ducts within the liver and is called bile duct cancer or intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and is more common among women.
Although researchers are unsure about the exact causes of liver cancer, research built up over time has connected the disease with some specific risk factors and issues which include:
* Smoking
* Alcohol Abuse
* Anabolic Steroids
* Exposure to certain chemicals (aflatoxin, vinyl chloride, thorium dioxide, arsenic and radium.
* Patients with hepatitis B and C.
* Cirrhosis of the liver
* Liver flukes (parasites)
* Hereditary defects
* Obesity
* Diabetes.
The symptoms of liver cancer are often asymptomatic in the early stages, meaning they are not noticeable. When they do become noticeable, the cancer is already in the later stages, unfortunately.
The most common liver cancer symptoms include:
* Abdominal pain (most common sign of liver cancer)
* Unexplained weight loss
* Loss of appetite
* Unexplained fever
* Jaundice
* Nausea
* Dark urine
* Excessive skin itching
* Confusion and increased sleepiness
* Weakness and feeling tired
* Unexplained muscle wasting
Treatment methods for liver cancer vary by patient and depend on: tumor size and location, cancer stage, patient's health, and age. The main treatment methods for liver cancer are described below.
Surgery: A partial hepatectomy involves removing a portion of the liver where the tumor is located. A total hepatectomy is the complete removal of the liver followed by a liver transplant. Two other types of surgery involve killing the tumor without a hepatectomy. Cryosurgery kills the cancerous cells with liquid nitrogen by "freezing" them to death. RadioFrequencyAblation (RFA) does the opposite by "cooking" the cancer cells to death using a radiofrequency current.
Chemotherapy and Radiation: Chemotherapy uses a single drug, or a combination of drugs, and is a systemic treatment (delivered throughout the body) that aims to kill cancer cells or stop abnormal growth by halting the cancer cell division process. Radiation Therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancerous cells. Both chemotherapy and radiation can be administered and delivered in a variety of ways, best suited to the patient. Both treatments also have notorious side effects including: hair loss (chemo), weight loss, nausea and vomiting, vulnerability to infections, weakness and severe fatigue.
Other Methods:
Percutaneous Ethanol Injection uses ethanol to destroy the tumor through dehydration and altering the cellular structure. The ethanol is delivered by a needed directed at the tumor.
Portal Vein Embolization is a treatment approach where the portal vein blood supply to the tumor is blocked resulting in a reduction in the part of the liver the tumor is located, while increasing the size of the other part of the liver. This procedure is a pre-surgical step to removing tumors that are otherwise too large. Portal vein embolization is a pre-operatory step for those patients that need surgery but the tumor either is too big to be removed, or the tissue that is required to be removed is too big while the healthy liver tissue left behind is too small.
Interstitial Laser Photocoagulation uses a thin optical fiber, inserted directly into the tumor, and a laser device. When the laser light is emitted, the cancerous cells undergo a thermal "death.". Interstitial macrowave is a thermal type therapy which kills the tumor by heating them to a high temperature (50 degrees C) for an extended period of time.
Biologic therapy (also called immunotherapy) uses substances produced in a laboratory that copy those naturally produced by the body to boost, direct, or restore the natural defenses and immune system of the body to fight the cancer, or decrease the side-effects caused by other cancer treatments.
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