Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 80 - 90% of all liver cancers. This type of cancer occurs more often in men than women, usually in people 50 to 60 years old. The disease is more common in parts of Africa and Asia than in North or South America and Europe.
The cause of liver cancer is usually cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). Cirrhosis may be caused by viral hepatitis, primarily hepatitis B and C, alcohol abuse, hemochromatosis, certain autoimmune diseases of the liver, and other diseases that result in chronic inflammation of the liver. The most common cause for cirrhosis in the United States is alcohol abuse.
Symptoms
Abdominal pain or tenderness, particularly in the right-upper quadrant
Enlarged abdomen
Easy bruising or bleeding
Jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes)
Aggressive surgery or liver transplantation may be successful in treating small or slow-growing tumors if they are diagnosed early.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are not usually effective but may be used to shrink large tumors so that surgery has a greater chance of success.
Liver metastases (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Liver metastases is cancer that has spread to the liver from somewhere else in the body. See also: Hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) Reviewer: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/11/2006
Jaundice - yellow skin (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Jaundice is a yellow color in the skin, the mucous membranes, or the eyes. The yellow pigment is from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Reviewer: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/18/2006
Ascites (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Ascites is excess fluid in the space between the tissues lining the abdomen and abdominal organs (the peritoneal cavity. Reviewer: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/26/2006
Liver biopsy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The liver is a pyramid-shaped organ that lies within the upper right side of the abdomen. In a typical liver biopsy, a needle is inserted through the rib cage or abdominal wall. The needle goes into the liver to take a sample for examination. The procedure can also be performed by inserting a needle into the jugular vein. A catheter is then passed through the veins, down to the liver, to take the sample. Reviewer: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/22/2007
Liver function tests (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Common tests that are used to evaluate liver function include: Albumin; A1AT; ALP; ALT; AST; GGT; PT; Serum bilirubin; Urine bilirubin. Please see individual tests for details on how each is performed. Reviewer: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/13/2006
Liver scan (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A liver scan uses a radioactive material to help determine how well the liver or spleen is working. Reviewer: Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/24/2007
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