Liver Cancer

About Liver Cancer

The excessive growth of liver cell (hepatocyte) forms mass cancerous cells (tumor) in the liver that leads to liver cancer. There are two types of liver cancer –

a) Liver Metastasis- when cancer found in the liver is spread from somewhere else in the body.

b) Primary Liver Cancer – cancer that starts in the liver. In most cases, tumors in the liver actually start from some other organ in the body. Primary Liver cancer is a rare case.

Causes of Liver Cancer

In most cases, the main causes of cancer cannot be identified. However, there are several risk factors for liver cancer:

• Long-term hepatitis B and hepatitis C
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Inherited metabolic diseases
• Exposure to aflatoxins

Symptoms

• Fatigue
• Pain on the right side of the upper abdomen or back and shoulder
• Nausea
• Reduced appetite
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Fever
• Jaundice

How to prevent Liver Cancer?

In high risk population liver cancer can be prevented by taking the following steps:

• Reduce your risk of cirrhosis
• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B
• Also, take appropriate steps to prevent hepatitis C
• Limiting alcohol & tobacco consumption
• Limiting exposure to cancer causing chemicals