Liver Cancer

Liver cancer begins in your liver, your largest internal organ. Your liver has a vital role in absorbing nutrients your body needs to function.

  • More than 800,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with liver cancer each year.

  • Liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide.

  • Often there are no symptoms for liver cancer, so it is difficult to detect early.

Several types of cancer can begin in the liver. They include:

  • Hepatocellular — The most common type of liver cancer begins in the hepatocyte cells in the liver.

  • Intraheptic cholangiocarcinoma — Often referred to as bile duct cancer, this makes up 10 to 20% of cancers that start in the liver.

  • Angiosarcoma — A rare cancer that begins in the blood vessels of the liver.

  • Hepatoblastoma — A rare liver cancer that develops in children.

Most cancer found in the liver is secondary liver cancer (metastatic liver cancer). The cancer will start in another part of the body and spread to the liver. These tumors are treated based on their primary cancer site or where the cancer started.

Man suffering from stomachache

Make an appointment

For more information, please contact your oncologist or the Cancer Care Center at (859) 301-4000.

Causes of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer can occur in people with no underlying diseases. In others, liver cancer might be associated with:

  • Cirrhosis
  • Hepatitis
  • Hemochromatosis

Risk Factors for Liver Cancer

Risk factors associated with developing liver cancer include:

  • Diabetes
  • Environmental exposure.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption.
  • Fatty liver disease.

Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Symptoms of liver cancer include:

  • Abdominal pain and swelling.
  • Changes in bowel habits.
  • Feeling bloated.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Unexplained fatigue.
  • Unexplained weight loss.
  • Yellow discoloration of your skin or whites of eyes.

Diagnosing Liver Cancer

If your doctor suspects that you have liver cancer, they may run tests to determine the stage of cancer to develop the best treatment plan. These tests include:

  • Blood tests to check genetic makeup and blood markers.
  • Biopsy.
  • CT scan.
  • PET/CT scan.
  • MRI

If you’ve been diagnosed with liver cancer, we can provide a second opinion and present treatment options.

Treating Liver Cancer

At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, we believe in caring for you, not just treating your cancer. Our holistic approach means we combine cancer treatment with working to minimize side effects and help you manage them. Our goal is to make you as comfortable as possible while we use innovative approaches to treat your cancer.

Your treatment plan for liver cancer usually begins with surgery. We also have expertise in treating liver cancer that has spread to other organs. Depending on the stage of your cancer and whether it has spread, your treatment may include:

  • Chemotherapy — Therapy that uses drugs injected through IV, taken by mouth or applied on the skin to attack and kill cancer cells.

  • Clinical trials — Innovative drug and genetic therapies used to treat liver cancers.
  • Immunotherapy — Medication therapy that stimulates your own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

  • Interventional radiation procedures — Nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedures to kill or shrink tumors. We use radiofrequency ablation and embolization to destroy small tumors without surgery and chemoembolization to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumor.

  • Radiation therapy — Therapy that uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells, including progressive radiation treatments such as proton-based stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).

  • Surgery — A procedure to remove cancer while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible.

  • Precision medicine — Medication therapy that uses your DNA to specifically target the cells that lead to cancer and stop cancer from forming and spreading.

  • Supportive care — Helping you coordinate appointments and treating the side effects from your cancer or cancer treatment.

Preventing Liver Cancer

Lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of liver cancer include:

  • Avoid smoking — Smoking is linked to many cancers, including cancers of the liver.

  • Decrease alcohol consumption — Heavy alcohol use is associated with cancers of the liver.

  • Diet — A diet rich in fiber, fruits, green vegetables, and whole grains can lower your risk of digestive cancers, including liver cancer.

  • Maintain a healthy weight — Obesity is a risk factor in many cancers and increases your risk of liver cancer.

  • Reduce your risk of contracting hepatitis — Get a hepatitis B vaccination and reduce your risk of getting hepatitis C by using protection when having sex, avoiding intravenous drugs, and using properly sterilized needs when getting a piercing or tattoo.

Your Cancer Care Team

Cancer Research Physicians

The team includes medical oncologists specializing in immunotherapy and precision medicine, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, thoracic surgeons, pain management specialists, genetic counselors, pathologists, nutritionists, pharmacists, nurses and support staff. They work together to create a treatment plan that’s just right for you.

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