Liver Cancer

Liver Cancer at a Glance

• Liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world.
• Incidence rates vary from 2.1 per 100,000 in North America to 80 per 100,000 in China.
• In the United States, it is estimated that there will be 24,120 new cases diagnosed in 2010 and 18,910 deaths due to this disease.
• Liver cancer tends to strike men in the United States, although this trend is most marked among Chinese Americans.

About Liver Cancer

Primary liver cancer or Hepatocellular cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver.

Liver cancer, also called Hepatocellular cancer (HCC), is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Age-standardized incidence rates vary from 2.1 per 100,000 in North America to 80 per 100,000 in China. In the United States, it is estimated that there will be 24,120 new cases diagnosed in 2010 and 18,910 deaths due to this disease. There is a distinct male preponderance among all ethnic groups in the United States, although this trend is most marked among Chinese Americans, in whom the annualized rate of HCC among men is 20.9 per 100,000 and among women is 8.0 per 100,000 population.

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has four lobes and fills the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. The liver has many important functions, including:

• Filtering harmful substances from the blood so they can be passed from the body in stools and urine.
• Making bile to help digest fats from food.
• Storing glycogen (sugar), which the body uses for energy.

Risk Factors

Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. The following are possible risk factors for adult primary liver cancer:

• Having hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C.
• Having a close relative with both hepatitis and liver cancer.
• Having cirrhosis.
• Eating foods tainted with aflatoxin (poison from a fungus that can grow on foods, such as grains and nuts, which have not been stored properly).

Symptoms

Possible signs of adult primary liver cancer:

• A hard lump on the right side just below the rib cage.
• Discomfort in the upper abdomen on the right side.
• Pain around the right shoulder blade.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).
• Unusual tiredness.
• Nausea.
• Loss of appetite.