Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal cell growth in the liver. While the exact cause of liver cancer is unknown, risk factors for the disease include such things as having a chronic liver infection, being male, and having a family history of the disease. Symptoms of liver cancer include jaundice or a lump near the ribs. Liver cancer must be detected early in order to be treated with surgery. Other treatment methods help the patient to feel better and possibly live longer.
Liver Cancer: An Introduction
Liver cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the liver. Liver cancer is not a common cancer in the United States; however, it is the fourth most common cancer in the world.
This article will discuss primary liver cancer, which is cancer that begins in the liver. Primary liver cancer can occur in both adults and children.
The liver is also a location where a lot of other cancers (like
breast cancer or
colon cancer) will metastasize (spread). When cancer begins in another part of the body and then spreads, it is called metastatic cancer. Cancer that began in the breast but has spread to the liver (or other areas of the body) is called metastatic breast cancer. Likewise, cancer that has spread to the liver but began in the
colon is called metastatic colon cancer.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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