How do you get liver cancer?
2332327#7
People get liver cancer (also called "hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC" or "hepatoma)" typically from a prolonged Hepatitis B or C infection or as a result of cirrhosis from chronic alcoholism. Liver cancer may bring about yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), itching (pruritus), or cause a buildup of fluid in the abdomen (ascites). A person may feel an enlarging mass, or the cancer might be revealed by abnormal liver function tests.
Gastrointestinal cancer
12284396#0
Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer and primary hepatic cancer, is cancer that starts in the liver. Cancer which has spread from elsewhere to the liver, known as liver metastasis, is more common than that which starts in the liver. Symptoms of liver cancer may include a lump or pain in the right side below the rib cage, swelling of the abdomen, yellowish skin, easy bruising, weight loss, and weakness.
The leading cause of liver cancer is cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or alcohol. Other causes include aflatoxin, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and liver flukes. The most common types are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which makes up 80% of cases, and cholangiocarcinoma. Less common types include mucinous cystic neoplasm and intraductal papillary biliary neoplasm. The diagnosis may be supported by blood tests and medical imaging with confirmation by tissue biopsy.
Preventive efforts include immunization against hepatitis B and treating those infected with hepatitis B or C. Screening is recommended in those with chronic liver disease. Treatment options may include surgery, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy. In certain cases ablation therapy, embolization therapy, or liver transplantation may be used. Small lumps in the liver may be closely followed.
Primary liver cancer is globally the sixth most frequent cancer (6%) and the second leading cause of death from cancer (9%). In 2012 it occurred in 782,000 people and in 2015 resulted in 810,500 deaths. In 2015, 263,000 deaths from liver cancer were due to hepatitis B, 167,000 to hepatitis C, and 245,000 to alcohol. Higher rates of liver cancer occur where hepatitis B and C are common, including Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Males are more often affected with HCC than females. Diagnosis is most frequent among those 55 to 65 years old. Five-year survival rates are 18% in the United States. The word "hepatic" is from the Greek "hêpar", meaning "liver".
Liver cancer
12284396#5
Viral infection with either hepatitis C virus (HCV) or Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the chief cause of liver cancer in the world today, accounting for 80% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The viruses cause HCC because massive inflammation, fibrosis and eventual cirrhosis occurs within the liver. HCC usually arises after cirrhosis, with an annual incidence of 1.7% in cirrhotic HCV-infected individuals. Around 5-10% of individuals that become infected with HBV become chronic carriers, and around 30% of these acquire chronic liver disease, which can lead to HCC. HBV infection is also linked to cholangiocarcinoma. The role of viruses other than HCV or HBV in liver cancer is much less clear, although there is some evidence that co-infection of HBV and hepatitis D virus may increase the risk of HCC.
Liver cancer
14902164#0
Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI) is a medical procedure that delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver. The procedure, mostly used in combination with systemic chemotherapy, plays a role in the treatment of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although surgical resection remains the standard of care for these liver metastases, majority of patients have lesions that are unresectable.
The liver derives its blood supply from two sources – via the hepatic arterial circulation and the portal circulation. Liver metastases get most of their blood supply primarily from the hepatic artery, whereas the normal liver cells get their blood supply from the portal circulation. This allows for chemotherapeutic drugs to be delivered directly to the cancer cells if infused into the hepatic artery. 
Multiple trials have compared HAI (with various chemotherapeutic agents) to systemic chemotherapy. Compared to systemic Fluoropyrimidine, HAI with Floxuridine (FUDR) had an increased response, but there was no overall increase in patient survival. Efforts have been made to increase the efficacy and safety of HAI chemotherapy: when a combination of FUDR and dexamethasone was used for HAI, both response rate and median survival increased. In another study, a combination of FUDR and leucovorin for HAI increased the response rate, and reduced the biliary toxicity seen with the use of FUDR alone.
Considering improvements in the surgical placement of the HAI pump and studies showing promising results when HAI therapy is used together with systemic oxaliplatin or irinotecan, there is once again an increased interest in the role of HAI as a treatment option in patients with cancer, who have unresectable CRC liver metastases. However, studies recommend that this treatment modality be restricted to centers with expertise in the surgical placement of these pumps, and the technical aspects of localized chemotherapy.
Hepatic arterial infusion
32097418#3
Charles Olweny served as the director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, from 1972 until 1982. Under his stewardship, the team of Ugandan medical researchers that he led were the first group to demonstrate that liver cancer could be successfully treated with chemotherapy using the drug doxorubicin, which is still the mainstay of treatment for liver cancer today. They were also able to confirm that Burkitt lymphoma could be cured with a high dose of chemotherapy and showed that the same was true for childhood Hodgkin disease. They documented the incidence of endemic Kaposi sarcoma in children and conducted clinical trials on how to treat it.
Charles Olweny
12284396#1
The most frequent liver cancer, accounting for approximately 75% of all primary liver cancers, is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (also named "hepatoma", which is a misnomer because adenomas are usually benign). HCC is a cancer formed by liver cells, known as hepatocytes, that become malignant. Another type of cancer formed by liver cells is hepatoblastoma, which is specifically formed by immature liver cells. It is a rare malignant tumor that primarily develops in children, and accounts for approximately 1% of all cancers in children and 79% of all primary liver cancers under the age of 15. Most hepatoblastomas form in the right lobe.
Liver cancer
12284396#12
Prevention of cancers can be separated into primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention preemptively reduces exposure to a risk factor for liver cancer. One of the most successful primary liver cancer preventions is vaccination against hepatitis B. Vaccination against the hepatitis C virus is currently unavailable. Other forms of primary prevention are aimed at limiting transmission of these viruses by promoting safe injection practices, screening blood donation products, and screening high-risk asymptomatic individuals. Aflatoxin exposure can be avoided by post-harvest intervention to discourage mold, which has been effective in west Africa. Reducing alcohol abuse, obesity, and diabetes would also reduce rates of liver cancer. Diet control in hemochromatosis could decrease the risk of iron overload, decreasing the risk of cancer.
Liver cancer
237585#30
Surgical removal of the tumor is associated with better cancer prognosis, but only 10-15% of patients are suitable for surgical resection due to the extent of disease or poor liver function. Surgery is only considered if the entire tumor can be safely removed while preserving sufficient functional liver to maintain normal physiology. Thus, preoperative imaging assessment is critical to determine both the extent of HCC and to estimate the amount of residual liver remaining after surgery. To maintain liver function, residual liver volume should exceed 25% of total liver volume in a noncirrhotic liver, greater than 40% in a cirrhotic liver. Surgery on diseased or cirrhotic livers is generally associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The overall recurrence rate after resection is 50-60%. The Singapore Liver Cancer Recurrence score can be used to estimate risk of recurrence after surgery.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
12284396#13
Secondary prevention includes both cure of the agent involved in the formation of cancer (carcinogenesis) and the prevention of carcinogenesis if this is not possible. Cure of virus-infected individuals is not possible, but treatment with antiviral drugs such as interferon can decrease the risk of liver cancer. Chlorophyllin may have potential in reducing the effects of aflatoxin.
Liver cancer
12284396#10
Many imaging modalities are used to aid in the diagnosis of primary liver cancer. For HCC these include sonography (ultrasound), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). When imaging the liver with ultrasound, a mass greater than 2 cm has more than 95% chance of being HCC. The majority of cholangiocarcimas occur in the hilar region of the liver, and often present as bile duct obstruction. If the cause of obstruction is suspected to be malignant, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), ultrasound, CT, MRI and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) are used.
Liver cancer
18517438#7
The Answer to Cancer (A2C) run was founded by Adrian Elkins, a 20-year-old student at Southern Oregon University who was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2002. Had he known during his childhood that his ethnicity and chronic hepatitis B infection increased his chance of developing liver cancer by 100%, he would have been regularly monitored for liver damage. He had no idea that hepatitis B—a disease he contracted at birth in Calcutta, India—causes 80% of the world's liver cancer cases. Adrian battled his disease for ten months, working tirelessly to organize an event to raise money for liver cancer research. Adrian saw the first-ever A2C run take place on 8 August 2003. Thanks to the generous support of friends, families and numerous companies, the 2003 Answer to Cancer Race was able to raise more than $20,000 for three charities and reach out to more than 240 participants. Adrian died only eight days after this first race.
LIVERight
12284396#15
Partial surgical resection is the optimal treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) when patients have sufficient hepatic function reserve. Increased risk of complications such as liver failure can occur with resection of cirrhotic (i.e. less-than-optimally functional) livers. 5-year survival rates after resection have massively improved over the last few decades and can now exceed 50%. However, recurrence rates after resection can exceed 70%, whether due to spread of the initial tumor or formation of new tumors . Liver transplantation can also be considered in cases of HCC where this form of treatment can be tolerated and the tumor fits specific criteria (such as the Milan criteria). In general, patients who are being considered for liver transplantation have multiple hepatic lesions, severe underlying liver dysfunction, or both. Less than 30-40% of individuals with HCC are eligible for surgery and transplant because the cancer is often detected at a late stage. Also, HCC can progress during the waiting time for liver transplants, which can prevent transplant due to the strict criteria.
Liver cancer