Liver Cancer
What Is It?
Primary liver cancer is quite rare. About 1 in every 100 cancers diagnosed in the UK is a primary liver cancer. In total, nearly 2,700 cases were diagnosed in the UK in 2003. Compared to over 44,000 cases of breast cancer and 35,000 cases of colorectal cancer in the same year. However, most cases of 'liver cancer' in the UK are not primary liver cancer at all. They are other cancers that have spread to the liver.Cirrhosis can increase your risk of getting liver cancer. Cirrhosis can be caused by:
Virus infections such as hepatitis B or C
Alcohol
Inherited diseases such as haemochromatosis and Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
Infection with hepatitis viruses
Aflatoxin, a substance found in mouldy peanuts, wheat, soya beans, groundnuts, corn and rice
The contraceptive pill
Anabolic steroids
Arsenic
Smoking
Symptoms
Common symptoms are:
Significant loss of weight that cannot be explained
Loss of appetite over a period of a few weeks
Being sick
Feeling full or bloated after eating, even after a small meal
Pain or discomfort in the abdomen
A swollen abdomen
Dark coloured urine and pale coloured faeces
A sudden worsening of health in somebody with known chronic hepatitis or
cirrhosis
A high temperature and sweating
Treatment
The main treatment options for primary liver cancer are:Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Injecting alcohol into the tumour (percutaneous ethanol injection)
Injecting chemotherapy into the liver's blood supply (chemoembolisation)
Treatment with radiowaves (radio frequency ablation or RFA)
Freezing the tumour (cryotherapy)