Understanding Liver Cancer: What Is it? 

From the office of Dr. Laurence Magne, author ofwhich is typically found in people already suffering
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body,from cirrhosis of the liver, begins many different
resting under the right ribs, just below the right lungparts of the liver at once. In the United States, this
and diaphragm. It is pyramid shaped and divided intosecond form is the most common.
right and left lobes. Unlike other organs in the body,A number of subtypes exist in the hepatocellular
the liver receives blood from two sources. Oxygencarcinoma family and identification can be made by a
rich blood comes in from the hepatic artery while thedoctor examining the tissue under a microscope.
portal vein brings in nutrient infused blood from theAnother form of liver cancer, Cholangiocarcnimos,
intestines. Due to it's vital role in the body functions,makes up approximately ten- to twenty-percent of
understanding liver cancer is very important.liver cancer cases. This form begins in the ducts
The liver plays an important part in removing toxicwhich carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder.
wastes from the body, as well as secreting bile intoA number of different factors are considered risk
the intestines to aid in the absorption of nutrients.factors for liver cancer. Smoking and alcohol
Many other nutrients end up being stored in the liverconsumption are both high on the list, especially when
itself. It also produces a lot of the factors necessaryabuse of alcohol leads to cirrhosis of theliver.
for clotting.Some liver infections, such as Hepatitis B and
As you can see, the liver is an incredibly importantHepatitis C are strong risk factors as well. These
and vital part of the body.infections tend to be more common in certain
Being made up of several different cell types makesportions of the world than others, making liver cancer
the liver, it is susceptible to quite a few differentthe most common form of cancer in those areas.
types of tumors. Some of the tumors are cancerous,Hepatitis A, however, has not been found to be a
or malignant, and some of them are non-cancerous,risk factor for liver cancer.
or benign. To learn more about how disease andThe specific approach to healing suggested by your
cancer are started in the body, read Cancer Free Forphysicians will take into account a great deal of
Life.information about you and your health. The standard
The treatments for each liver tumor differ for eachscientific approaches to curing cancer need to be
of the type of cells that form them.approached carefully, however. Often times, the
The most common form of benign liver cancer ineffects of these treatments are as dangerous as the
adults is hepatocellular carcinoma, which begins in thecancer they are treating, due to the weakening of
hepatocytes. The hepatocytes are the main type ofthe immune system. Explore all of your options and
cell in the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma accountsmake the most intelligent decision possible regarding
for approximately seventy-five percent of all primaryyour individual treatment.
liver cancer diagnoses.Visit more information and articles. This article is
This form of cancer generally starts in one of twoavailable for reprint for your website and newsletter,
ways. The first begins as a single tumor and laterprovided that you maintain its copyright integrity and
spreads to other parts of the liver. The second,include the signature.