Liver Cancer Facts

Here are some important liver cancer facts.

There are actually two major types of liver cancer: 

1. Hepatocellular cancer or carcinoma, also sometimes called hepatoma 
2. Metastatic liver cancer 

Metastatic liver cancer actually starts in another organ of the body, like the lungs, colon, stomach, pancreas, breast, and then spreads to the liver.   

Hepatocellular cancer or carcinoma is the type of cancer that will be covered in this article. Hepatocellular cancer arises in the cells of the liver itself. It may or may not spread to other organs. About 90-95% of liver cancers arise from liver cells. This type of liver cancer occurs more often in men and also happens more with a liver disease called cirrhosis.

Cholangiocarcinoma, which is also known as bile duct cancer, begins in the cells lining the bile ducts. This type of liver cancer is more common in women.

Diagnosis of liver cancer is an extremely serious matter. It is often fatal within a year. This is probably because liver cancer symptoms don't often appear until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. By the time symptoms appear, When the patient does develop symptoms, the prognosis is usually poor.

"Liver cancer stage" is a term used to describe the size of a liver cancer tumor and whether it has spread beyond the liver. By knowing the stage, medical professionals can determine what treatment is best.

• Stage 1 The cancer is less than 2 centimeters and hasn't started to spread. 
• Stage 2 The cancer has begun to affect the blood vessels in the liver. There may also be more than one tumor in the liver in this stage. 
• Stage 3A The cancer has grown to 5 centimeters or more, or has spread to blood vessels in the vicinity of the liver. 
• Stage 3B The cancer has spread to nearby organs, such as the bowel or the stomach, but has not spread to the lymph nodes. 
• Stage 3C The cancer as spread to nearby lymph nodes. The tumor can be any size and still be described as "3C" if it in present in the lymph nodes. 
• Stage 4 The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.