liver cancer

Cancers that start in the liver

Several types of cancer can start in the liver.

hepatocellular carcinoma: This is the most common form of liver cancer in adults. It begins in the hepatocytes the main type of liver cell. About 3 out of 4 cancers that start in the liver are this type. Most of the information in this article refers to hepatocellular cancer.

This type of cancer can have different growth patterns.

• Some begin as a single tumor that grows larger. Only late in the disease does it spread to other parts of the liver.

• This type of cancer may also begin in many spots throughout the liver, not as a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with cirrhosis and is the most common pattern seen in the United States.

Doctors can figure out the subtypes of hepatocellular cancer by looking at the cancer under a microscope. Most of these subtypes do not affect treatment or the patient's outlook. But one rare type, called fibrolamellar, has a much better outlook (prognosis) than other forms of liver cancer.

hepatoblastoma: There is a very rare kind of liver cancer that develops in children. It is usually found in children younger than 4 years old. About 70% of children with this disease are treated successfully with surgery and chemotherapy. The survival rate is greater than 90% for early-stage disease.

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Liver cancer

What is liver cancer?

Liver cancer is a cancer that starts in the liver. To understand liver cancer, it helps to know about how the normal liver looks and works.

The liver is the largest organ inside the body. It lies under your right ribs, just below the right lung. If you were to poke your fingers up under your right ribs, you would almost touch your liver.

The liver is shaped like a pyramid and is divided into right and left lobes. Unlike most other organs, the liver gets blood from 2 sources. The hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen. The portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestines to the liver.

The liver has many vital functions you cannot live without:

1. It breaks down and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine.
2. It makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury.
3. It secretes bile into the intestine to help absorb nutrients.
4. It plays an important part in removing toxic wastes from the body.

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