Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is a disease that occurs when cells in the liver grow out of control. It can be primary, which means it starts in the liver, or secondary, which means it spreads to the liver from another part of the body
Symptoms
Pain in the upper right abdomen or right shoulder, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, or a swollen abdomen
Types
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma, and angiosarcoma
Risk factors
Sex, weight, race, diabetes, inherited metabolic diseases, and exposure to aflatoxins, hormones, or thorotrast
Prevention
Don’t drink alcohol or smoke, or quit if you do
Treatment
Targeted drug therapy, which can cause cancer cells to die by blocking specific abnormalities
The most common type of primary liver cancer in adults is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which starts in the liver’s main cell type, the hepatocytes. Other types of liver cancer include:
- Cholangiocarcinoma: Starts in the cells lining the bile ducts
- Angiosarcoma: Starts in the blood vessels, and is more likely to occur in people over 70