| | | | | to regenerate may also be linked to the development |
| Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It | | | | of liver cancers. |
| filters harmful substances from the blood, digests | | | | How is liver cancer diagnosed? |
| fats from food and stores the sugar that your body | | | | Liver cancer may be discovered in a routine checkup |
| uses for energy. Primary liver cancer starts in the | | | | if the doctor feels hard lumps in the abdomen, or |
| liver. Metastatic liver cancer starts somewhere else | | | | incidentally by imaging studies. To confirm a diagnosis |
| and spreads to your liver. | | | | of liver cancer, doctors would use blood tests; |
| What are the symptoms of liver cancer? | | | | ultrasound; computer tomography (CT) scans; and |
| The initial symptoms (the clinical presentations) of | | | | magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. Doctors may |
| liver cancer are variable. In countries where liver | | | | find it necessary to do a biopsy, where a small |
| cancer is very common, the cancer generally is | | | | sample of liver tissue is removed with a needle and |
| discovered at a very advanced stage of disease for | | | | then examined for cancer cells. |
| several reasons. For one thing, areas where there is a | | | | Liver Cancer Treatment |
| high frequency of liver cancer are generally | | | | Systemic chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma |
| developing countries where access to healthcare is | | | | has not been very successful. Doxorubicin, cisplatin |
| limited. For another, screening examinations for | | | | and 5-FU have been the most successful drugs, |
| patients at risk for developing liver cancer are not | | | | however response rates have been very low (less |
| available in these areas. In addition, patients from | | | | than 10%) and treatment has had no impact on |
| these regions actually have more aggressive liver | | | | overall survival. The use of combination |
| cancer disease. | | | | chemotherapy has not shown to have any |
| Jaundice If the bile duct becomes blocked, bile | | | | advantage over single-agent chemotherapy. |
| produced by the liver will flow back into the | | | | Intraarterail chemotherapy (mitomycin, doxorubicin, |
| bloodstream, causing jaundice. This will cause the skin | | | | cisplatin) can be given into the hepatic artery that is |
| and whites of the eyes to go yellow and may make | | | | providing blood supply to the tumor. |
| the skin very itchy. The itching may sometimes be | | | | In situations in which spread is limited to the liver, |
| relieved by antihistamine tablets or other drugs, which | | | | systemic chemotherapy may be used, although other |
| your doctor can prescribe. Sometimes the jaundice | | | | treatment methods may be effective. When the |
| itself can be relieved. | | | | tumor is localized to only a few areas of the liver, |
| Causes of Liver Cancer | | | | the cancer may be removed surgically. |
| Your liver is a football-sized organ that sits in the | | | | Use of radiofrequency waves or injection of toxic |
| upper right portion of your abdomen, beneath your | | | | substances may also be used to kill tumors. When |
| diaphragm and above your stomach. Your liver | | | | larger areas of the liver are involved, liver-directed |
| processes most of the nutrients absorbed from your | | | | chemotherapy (infusing chemotherapy directly into |
| small intestine and determines how much sugar | | | | the liver), or embolization (blockage of blood flow to |
| (glucose), protein and fat enter your bloodstream. It | | | | parts of the liver) may be used. |
| also manufactures blood-clotting substances and | | | | Patients with such limited cancer may benefit from |
| certain proteins. Your liver performs a vital | | | | chemotherapy infused directly into the liver. Delivered |
| detoxifying function by removing drugs, alcohol and | | | | by an implanted pump connected to the hepatic |
| other harmful substances from your bloodstream. | | | | artery, this therapy takes advantage of the liver's |
| Many factors may play a role in the development of | | | | ability to metabolize some drugs, meaning that the |
| cancer. Because the liver filters blood from all parts of | | | | tumor may be exposed to high concentrations of |
| the body, cancer cells from elsewhere can lodge in | | | | chemotherapy while the rest of the body is spared |
| the liver and start to grow. Cancers that begin in the | | | | the side effects. |
| gut often spread to the liver. The ability of the liver | | | | |