What is Liver Cancer? Quite simply it is cancer that starts from the liver. Your liver is the largest internal organ in the body, mostly made up of blood vessels, bile ducts, fat-storing cells, as well as hepatocytes or liver cells. Hepatocytes make up approximately 80% of liver tissue and are also the origin of up to 95% of liver cancers. The disease is common throughout the world, but rare in the US with 0.5%-2% incidence compared to other cancers. However, the US is currently experiencing a gradual increase in number of individuals suffering from the said malignancy.The liver weighs about 3-4 lbs. It is located at the upper right section of the abdomen, just behind your ribs with the round ligament dividing it into right and left lobes. The nutrient-rich blood from the hepatic portal vein supplies the liver of protein, while the hepatic artery provides the liver of oxygenated blood. Functions of the liver include:
Glucose
Protein
Fat
Drugs
Conversion of ammonia
Storage of vitamin and iron
Production of bile
Excretion of bilirubin
Types of Liver Cancer
Liver cancer starts with a cell starts to grow in an unusual rate. Hepatic or liver cells may either have an unusual shape, size, or start to multiply at a rate faster than normal. Liver cancer is different from metastatic liver cancer. Liver or primary liver cancer is a malignancy that started directly from the liver. Metastatic liver cancer, on the other hand, is the formation of malignancy due to migrating malignant cells from another cancerous organ (i.e. breast, lung, colon, kidney). Several cancers can form in the liver because it is made up of different tissues, with each of them having different names in terms of site or cell of origin.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
The most common type of liver cancer, HCC often starts as a single tumor made up of hepatocytes or liver cells that eventually spread up in other liver locations during the later stage of the disease. Sometimes, the cancer cells may start in different locations due to presence of cirrhosis (liver damage usually due to alcohol-related liver disease).
Choloangiocarcinoma
Hepatocytes produce 500-100 Ml of bile each day, which is collected in a network of bile ducts to be stored in the gall bladder. Also known as bile duct cancer, choloangiocarcinoma makes up 10%-20% of liver cancer. This type of cancer is often lethal because the malignancy only manifests itself once it is in the advanced stage.
Angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma
These are rare types of cancer that originate in the blood vessels of the liver, commonly seen in individuals who have been exposed to several chemicals such as:
Vinyl chloride
Arsenic
Radium
Both are also seen in individuals who suffer from an inherited disease such as hemochromatosis. They are often terminal because the malignancy grows at a rapid rate. Once the disease is detected, surgical treatment is impossible because the malignancy has metastasized (spread) extensively.
Hepatoblastoma
This is a very rare type of liver cancer that affects children under the age of 4. According to the American Cancer Society, liver cancer prognosis of 70 % of children suffering from hepatoblastoma is good as long as there’s early detection and treatment with surgery and chemotherapy.
