What is liver cancer? Liver cancer is a cancer that starts in the liver. Our liver has the same size of a football and is located at the upper part of the abdomen and serves several purposes.  It digests fats and proteins and takes away the toxins in our body.  It also produces chemical that stops blood clotting and aids the releasing of bile for digestion.  Liver cancer is a very serious situation. If the liver stops functioning or disrupts its normal function this could be fatal – a life threatening condition.  Liver cancer is the eight deadliest diseases in the world.

There are two types of liver cancer, the primary and secondary liver cancer. When you say primary liver cancer it means that the cancer starts in the liver. It is more common to men whose age is more than 60. The cause of this cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC. There is also another type of primary liver cancer this is called cholangiocarcinoma, also known as cancer of the bile duct. Secondary liver cancers are the most cases of liver cancer. It means that the cancer started somewhere in the body before reaching the liver (metastasizing).

There are ways to prevent liver cancer. The best way is to drink alcohol moderately or avoid drinking alcohol as much as possible. Furthermore, avoid injecting or using illegal drugs, and make sure if you are having sex that you are protected, as this can cause hepatitis C, which can increase the risk of liver cancer.  These are the common signs of liver cancer:

-          Tiredness

-          Nausea and vomiting

-          Instant loss of weight

-          Abdominal pain (upper)

-          Loss of appetite

-          Abdominal swelling

-          Enlarged liver

-          Discoloration of the skin (became yellowish)

Risk in developing a liver cancer depends on some factors:

-          Age- more men are prone to liver cancer, especially when they cross the age of 40.

-          Sex- men are more likely to develop this type of cancer than women.

-          Diabetes- people that have blood sugar problems are more prone to liver cancer.

-          Obesity- having an unhealthy body may increase the risk of having a liver cancer.

-          Inherited liver problem- pre existing liver disease may also increase the rate of having liver cancer.

Clean lifestyle and a healthy diet is one way to prevent liver cancer. Also, perform regular liver cleansing.

Liver cancer or hepatoma is the 5^th most common cancer in the world. It arises from liver cells and can either be a primary cancer or metastatic cancer. It is a deadly cancer which kills most of its patients. The World Health Organization reported that there are about 430,000 new cases of liver cancer each year.

Symptoms - Unexplainable weight loss and swollen tummy may be a manifestation of liver cancer. Dark urine may also be noticed due to the bile that the liver can’t wash away. Having these symptoms, the patient must seek professional consultation to further evaluate his/her condition.

Treatment - Treatment options depend on the stage of the liver cancer. Though there are lots of treatment options available, liver transplantation is the only proven cure. It is effective for tumors with less than 3cm in size. The physician may also remove the tumor that small through partial hepatic resection.

However, patients with cancer may also have liver cirrhosis. In this case, the patient can’t tolerate liver resection surgery. However, they can, probably, tolerate liver transplant. On the other hand, other modes of treatment such as chemotherapy, chemoembolization, ablation and proton beam therapy remain disappointing.

Prevention – Changing one’s lifestyle prevents an individual for having the disease.

• Quit smoking. Smoking is always linked to a person who has liver or other types of cancer.
• Quit drinking alcohol beverages. Alcohol consumption and abuse increases the risk the developing liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.
• Hepatitis B vaccination provides protection for liver diseases such as cancer.
• Safe sex. Hepatitis C may be caused by unprotected sex and drug use due to contaminated needles.
• Retinoid derivative. One Japanese study states that a retinoid derivative was effective in preventing the development of liver cancer. Although the drug is not available in the U.S. yet, further study of this compound may be promising in reducing the incidence of hepatic cancers.