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Alternative names Return to top
Primary liver cell carcinoma; Tumor - liver; Liver cancer; Cancer - liverDefinition Return to top
Hepatocellular carcinoma involves a malignant tumor of the liver.Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top
Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for 80% to 90% of all liver cancers. It occurs more often in men than women and occurs mostly 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, or 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 a whole host of other diseases that result in chronic inflammation of the liver leading to scarring. The most common cause for cirrhosis in the U.S. is alcohol abuse.
Symptoms Return to top
Signs and tests Return to top
Treatment Return to top
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.
Support Groups Return to top
The stress of illness can often be eased by joining a support group with members who share common experiences and problems. See liver disease - support group and cancer - support group.Expectations (prognosis) Return to top
The usual outcome is poor, because only 10% to 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas can be removed completely using surgery. If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually fatal within 3 to 6 months, although this is highly variable. Survival much longer than this occasionally occurs.Complications Return to top
Calling your health care provider Return to top
Call your health care provider if persistent abdominal pain develops, particularly if there has been a history of any liver disease.Prevention Return to top
Preventing and treating viral hepatitis may help reduce risk. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Certain patients may benefit from hemochromatosis screening. Update Date: 8/10/2004 Updated by: Stephen Grund, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Hematology & Oncology and Director of the George Bray Cancer Center at New Britain General Hospital, New Britain, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Page last updated: 28 October 2004 |