Liver Cancer Is Introspecting:

Just like every other organ in the body, the liver keeps a person healthy by its functions. Harmful material is removed from the blood, as it is filtered by this large vital detoxifying organ. It liver cancer produces the different proteins needed by the body including enzymes, hormones, antibodies and other substances. Digestion of fat is facilitated with the bile that the liver also produces. It is the primary powerhouse source of energy. Liver cancer, also called hepatic tumors, can arise from the liver itself. Also, a primary tumor may have spread it to the liver.

The football-sized organ sits at the upper right hand side part of the abdomen, beneath the diaphragm and above the stomach. Protected by the lower ribs, it sits the right side lobe and the smaller left lobe.

Survival rates do not give definite indications of what will happen to patients. However, they may predict their chances if a type of treatment plan are opted for. A liver transplant and surgery to remove the cancer from the liver are the two main treatment options. Liver cancer can be fatal for some patients within the year of diagnosis. Until it has become a serious medical condition, the symptoms do not appear.

Hepatocellular, one of the two major types, usually develop in people with chronic cirrhosis. These growth on or in the liver can be benign or malignant. Specialists often suggest a liver transplant. Classified as primary liver cancer, it is uncommon. It starts in the cells, bile ducts, blood vessels or connective tissues of the liver.

Discovered on medical imaging, the cancer most likely developed because of previous liver disease. Also, chronic infection with the hepatitis virus is the other leading cause of liver cancer. A vaccine against hepatitis C infection is not known to be available yet. However, it could be avoided by preventing contamination. Drinking alcohol is also known to be a cause of hepatocellular cancer.

Metastatic cancer is not labeled as liver cancer, but as metastatic cancer of whatever organ they originated from. It is classified as secondary liver cancer, which has resulted from the spread of cancer from other areas of the body to the liver.

Specialists have identified some treatments to help control cancer. These are percutaneous ethanol injection, radiofrequency ablation, chemoembolisation, and cryosurgery or cry therapy.

Selective Internal Radiation Therapy is performed by interventional radiology physicians to treat patients with inoperable liver cancer.

   Liver Cancer Is Meaning:

Liver cancer is to be feared being the eighth most common cancer in the world. Your liver plays an important detoxification role for your body. If your liver breaks down, digestion of your fats via bile cannot take place. Filtering of your blood to remove drugs, waste and toxins can also be severely affected. Getting liver damage or liver cancer would be disastrous as it means that all these important functions cannot be performed. In the worst case scenario, liver cancer can result in death.

Liver cancer develops when liver cells multiply at abnormal rates. They then attack healthy parts of the same organ or neighboring cells. Cancer cells soon spread beyond their original location to other parts and organs to establish new tumors, in a process known as metastasis.

Your liver, including every organ in your body, is comprised of cells. Cells are living things. Hence, they are born and they die. Your body is always making new cells to replace the old and dead ones. This process has to be tightly regulated. If not, there will be chaos. Cancer cells interfere with the normal functioning of this process.

Your liver, at approximately 1.5 kilograms in weight, is the biggest organ inside your body. You may not even realize the presence of a liver inside of you as it is hidden in your right upper abdomen, underneath and protected by your right rib cage. Your liver is perhaps the busiest organ in your body, tasked with numerous functions.

The liver makes the different proteins that your body needs, which include enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and other substances necessary for the proper functioning of your body. It is the power plant of your body since it is the primary source of energy. It also filters your blood to remove toxins and produces bile to help in the digestion of fat. It is the most parsimonious organ in the body, extracting anything that can be used from your blood and storing it for future use.

There are two types of liver cancer, primary and secondary. Primary liver cancer means the tumor starts from the liver. Hepatocellular cancer (abbreviated HCC) is the most common form (90 percent) of primary liver cancer. HCC originates from hepatocytes, the liver cells responsible for most of its functions. Other types of primary liver cancer are rare. They include cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer arising from bile ducts within the liver and hepatoblastoma, which occurs in children, and gallbladder cancer.

Secondary liver cancer means the cancer started somewhere else and spread (metastasised) to the liver. In secondary liver cancer, patients do not have "liver cancer" technically. Patients are actually experiencing metastases to their liver.

Risk to developing liver cancer depends on various factors. Sex and age plays a part, as with diet and lifestyle habits. In terms of sex, men are 2.8 times more likely to be affected than women. Your risk also increases after the age of 40. High rates have been noted in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines. Studies also show that rates are high among Chinese and Koreans in Los Angeles and among Chinese in the San Francisco Bay area, although those rates are about half of mainland China rates. A diet that comprises of processed and highly preserved foods is generally considered toxic to the liver.

The most important risk factor for liver cancer is hepatitis B virus (HBV). Patients who are located in areas with high rates of hepatitis also have high rates of HCC; conversely, HCC patients are far more likely to be hepatitis B carriers. Studies also show that men are twice or thrice more likely to develop HCC. On the other hand, women demonstrate greater survival rates than men at any stage of liver cancer.

Aflatoxins are the most potent carcinogens on liver cells per unit weight. Aflatoxins are toxins produced by an Aspergillus fungus that grows on many crops. They have been suspected to be agents for human HCC. While nothing conclusive has yet been established, you should avoid foods
that are positive for aflatoxin. Many types of commercial crops or even commercial peanut butter contain minute quantities of aflatoxin, but they are usually below the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommended safe level.

There are no specific symptoms for liver cancer. One sign that you can look out for is pain in the right upper quadrant of your body. Another common indicator for liver cancer is unexplained sudden weight loss. Hence, you should always take preventative measures to protect your liver on a regular basis. You should reduce your intake of foods that are hard to digest, toxic and drugs. Also, perform regular liver cleansing for optimal liver health.

Liver cancer is meaning

Liver cancer -Danger Factor

 Liver Cancer - Symptoms and Danger Factor:

Hepatocellular carcinoma or primary liver cancer or is a type of cancer that begins in the liver cells. The liver is the largest organ of the body - weighs at about 3 pounds or 1.36 kilogram. It is composed of several cell types such as bile ducts, fat-storing cells, and blood vessels. Liver Cancer is composed of 80 percent of liver cells (or hepatocytes). Hence, the greater part of hepatocellular carcinoma happens from liver.

When a cancer originated from other organs (breast, pancreas, lung, stomach or colon) and has spread to the liver, it is called secondary liver cancer or metastatic liver disease. Often, patients or physicians refer this as also liver cancer. So, the name liver cancer can either refer to primary or secondary liver cancer.

This type of cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. It is a lethal cancer that will kill majority of diagnosed patients within a year. Nearly three quarters of liver cancer cases are in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. It is also extremely common in South Africa and Mozambique.

Like most types of cancer, the symptoms begin to appear as the disease progresses. Thus, it is usually diagnosed in an advanced stage.

Symptoms

There are several symptoms connected with this disease. These include feeling of abdominal fullness with no clear reason, bloating, weakness, unexplained fever, and fatigue (not relieve with rest). Another symptom is experiencing pain and/or discomfort in the upper part of the abdomen that may also extend into the shoulder blade area and back. One common symptom is anorexia, since the patient experiences vomiting, nausea, and loss of appetite. Jaundice may also occur to patients, which is a condition that causes the yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes.

These symptoms can be nonspecific. Meaning they do not exactly identify liver cancer. But, they do alert your physician that your liver may have to be evaluated.

Risk Factors

Both children and adults can be affected by liver cancer; however it occurs mostly in adults. A risk factor is anything that influences the possibility of you getting a disease. But this doesn't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or a number of risk factors, doesn't indicate you will get the disease.

Here are some of the risk factors identified by experts.

Gender

This type of cancer is more common to males than females.

Ethnicity or Race

Pacific Islanders and Asians have the highest cases of hepatocellular carcinoma than other races.

Age

In developed countries such as United States and Europe, this mostly affects people over age 60. However, in developing countries such as Africa (and some in Asia), it is the reverse. Younger people - age between 20 and 50 - is diagnosed with this kind of cancer.

Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Chronic infection of hepatitis C virus or hepatitis B virus is the most common risk factor. In general, hepatitis C is usually the cause of liver cancer in the United States, while hepatitis B is the common cause in Asia and other developing countries.

Cirrhosis

It is a disease that causes scar tissue to develop in you liver. Most people who have this type of cancer already have several indication of cirrhosis.

The legend Symbols

Liver Cancer Advise Legend Symbols and Symptoms:

Liver is one of the important parts of our body that secrets bile juice and helps in the digestion of the food we eat. When cells in the liver start growing at an abnormal rate causing problems in the normal functioning of the liver then it should be suspected as liver cancer. It is very difficult to identify liver cancer at an early stage as it shows no signs and symptoms. Often the symptoms shown are also misleading and felt as some other health problem.

Scientific research shows that the causes of liver cancer are obesity, hepatitis B or C infection, extreme alcohol use and forming of Aflatoxin B1 from a mold called Aspergillums in our body. This mold enters our body through food. Coming to types of liver cancer the most common type is Hepatic cellular cancer also called as Carcinoma. The other types are Cholangio carcinoma, Hepatic blastula and Anglo sarcoma.

As told no particular symptoms are shown in the early stages of this cancer. But as the cancer develops then we can see some symptoms like pain in the abdomen. The pain is because of swelling of liver due to cancer cells. The other common symptom is Jaundice. Jaundice causes yellowing of skin or whitening of eyes. In the early stages we can see discoloration of skin.

Usually upset of abdomen is also observed in the cancer of the liver patients. This makes the patient lose the urge for food which leads to abnormal weight loss. Patients may feel unusually nauseous and may begin to vomit. As the disease progress one may observe fluids forming in the abdomen. Most of the times patients suffer with fever because of which patient may get headache, chills or sweating. Other common symptom is white and chalky stools.

Even though it is not possible to diagnose cancer of the liver in the early stages it is better to go to a doctor and undergo required tests when any of the above symptoms are observed. The chances of cure are high when liver cancer is in early stage than in advanced stage. In advanced stage the option is liver transplantation. With liver transplantation you are put on a waiting list until a compatible liver is found.