Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 80 - 90% of all liver cancers. This type of cancer occurs more often in men than women. It is usually seen in people ages 50 - 60.
The disease is more common in parts of Africa and Asia than in North or South America and Europe.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is not the same as metastatic liver cancer, which starts in another organ (breast or colon) and spreads to the liver.
The cause of liver cancer is usually scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis may be caused by:
Some high-risk patients may get periodic blood tests and ultrasounds to see if tumors are developing.
Treatment
Aggressive surgery or a liver transplant may successfully treat small or slow-growing tumors if they are diagnosed early. However, few patients are diagnosed early.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are not usually effective. However, they 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.Reviewer: Sean O. Stitham, MD, private practice in Internal Medicine, Seattle, Washington; and James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/04/2008
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.Yellow skin and eyes; Skin- yellow; Icterus; Eyes- yellow; Jaundice.If you’ve ever had a brui...Reviewer: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 05/08/2008
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).A person with ascites usually has severe liver disease. Ascites is caused by high pressure in the blood vessels of the liver(po...Reviewer: George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/21/2009
Liver biopsy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A liver biopsy is a test that takes a sample of tissue from the liver for examination.The test is usually done in the hospital. You may be given a medication to calm you(sedative) or pain medication by injection before the test. Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Francisco, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 03/05/2009
Liver function tests (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Common tests that are used to evaluate liver function include:.Albumin Alpha-1 antitrypsin ALP ALT AST Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT) Prothrombin time.Please see individual tests for details on how each is performed.Reviewer: Linda Vorvick, MD, Family Physician, Seattle Site Coordinator, Lecturer, Pathophysiology, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 11/16/2008
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.Technetium scan; Liver technetium sulfur colloid scan; Liver-spleen radionuclide scan; Nuclear scan- technetium; Nuclear scan- liver or spleen.The h...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 01/28/2009
Liver disease - resources (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The following organizations are good resources for information on liver disease: American Liver Foundation - www.liverfoundation.org; Childrens Liver Association for Support Services - www.classkids.org; Hepatitis B Foundation - www.hepb.org; National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse - http/digestive.niddk.nih.gov. Reviewer: Jennifer K. Mannheim, CPNP, private practice, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 10/20/2008
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