October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the world? Learn more about the possible causes and treatments of this deadly disease, and the steps you can take to prevent it.
Common Misconception: A tumor in the liver means you have liver cancer.
Actually, this is not always the case. When we see a tumor in the liver, it isn’t always liver cancer. More often than not, it is a liver metastasis, which is a tumor that has spread from another organ. For example, if you have stage IV colon cancer that has spread to the liver and lungs, you still only have colon cancer (even though there are now spots in your liver and your lungs).
Liver Cancer: Cancer that originates in the liver is different, and treated differently, than cancers that originate other places in the body and spread to the liver. Primary liver cancers are cancers that arise from cells that normally live in the liver.
The two most common types of liver cancers are:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arises from the liver cells that make the bile and clotting factors, store sugar and detoxify our blood.
- Cholangiocarcinoma arises from the cells that line the bile tubes that allow the bile to travel from the liver to the intestine.
Statistics: Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the world, but is relatively uncommon in the United States. Although the number of new cases in the United States is increasing, the number of lives saved is also significantly higher than in previous years. This may be due to better treatments.
Causes of liver cancer: Not all causes of liver cancer are known. The most common factors that increase your risk for having liver cancers are:
- Cirrhosis: Scarring of the liver due to chronic damage of the liver cells from alcohol, viral hepatitis infection, obesity, auto-immune disease and other inherited diseases.
- Chronic viral hepatitis: If you have Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, your risk is significantly increased. Treating the infection is now possible with new drugs that are currently available.
- Heavy alcohol use: Even though the liver has tremendous regenerative power, constant alcohol use will damage the liver, leading to cirrhosis.
- Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH): A condition where an individual develops fatty liver even though they do not consume any alcohol. Usually, these people tend to be obese. However, not all obese people will develop NASH.
Treatment: Treatment of liver cancer depends on the size, location and stage of the cancer, as well as the condition of the liver. Treatment options are surgical resection (part of the liver is removed), transplant (the entire liver is replaced), ablation (the tumor is destroyed with heat or cold energy), embolization (the blood supply to the cancer is shut off) and/or chemotherapy.
Prevention: The good news is that liver cancer can be prevented. Infection with Hepatitis B virus can be prevented with vaccines. Most, if not all health care workers, are required to be vaccinated. If infected, there are now effective antiviral medications that can clear the infection and thus decrease the risk of cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
If you have questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor. To make an appointment with a Nebraska Medicine oncology provider, call 800-922-0000.