Cancer that begins in the liver is known as primary liver cancer. This eMedTV article offers an overview of liver cancer, including information about its risk factors, its symptoms, and treatment options for the disease.
The cause of liver cancer is not yet known. However, as this eMedTV article explains, researchers have identified certain risk factors that may increase a person's chances of developing liver cancer (such as having a chronic liver infection).
Liver cancer risk factors include such things as having a chronic liver infection. This eMedTV segment discusses risk factors for liver cancer (such as being male) that increase a person's chances of developing the disease.
In people with liver cancer, symptoms may include such things as jaundice, abdominal pain, and weight loss. This eMedTV Web page describes symptoms of liver cancer, which usually do not develop in the early stages of the disease.
In the case of liver cancer, diagnosis may involve a physical exam and certain tests (such as blood tests). This eMedTV resource describes the steps involved in diagnosing liver cancer and discusses certain tests doctors use to diagnose the disease.
As explained in this eMedTV article, liver cancer staging is used to describe the extent of the disease. The stages of this type of cancer include stages I-IV and recurrent cases of the disease, as well as further classifications for treatment purposes.
For people with liver cancer, treatment options may include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. This eMedTV article describes these and other types of treatment options in detail, including expected results and links to more information.
A liver cancer prognosis is a prediction concerning the course and outcome of the disease. This eMedTV resource outlines some of the factors that affect the prognosis for a person with liver cancer and provides statistics (such as survival rates).
Doctors and scientists have not yet identified a routine, effective liver cancer screening test. This eMedTV article discusses efforts to develop a test to screen for liver cancer and offers a discussion of cancer screening in general.
Some liver cancer research is focused on identifying what causes the disease. This eMedTV article discusses research being conducted to better understand and treat liver cancer. Treatments being studied include biological and hyperthermia therapies.
Based on liver cancer statistics, an estimated 18,510 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease in 2006. This eMedTV article contains a variety of statistics concerning liver cancer, including survival rates and age-at-diagnosis figures.
