What is Liver Cancer?
Liver cancer is cancer that begins in the cells of your liver. Several types of cancer can form in the liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma.
Cancer that spreads to the liver is more common than cancer that begins in the liver cells. Cancer that begins in another area of the body — such as the colon, lung or breast — and then spreads to the liver is called metastatic cancer rather than liver cancer.
This type of cancer is named after the organ in which it began.
Symptoms
Most people don't have signs and symptoms in the early stages of primary liver cancer. When signs and symptoms do appear, they may include:
- Losing weight without trying
- Loss of appetite
- Upper abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- General weakness and fatigue
- Abdominal swelling
- Yellow discoloration of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- White, chalky stools
Causes of the liver cancer
Liver cancer happens when liver cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. DNA mutations cause changes in these instructions. One result is that cells may begin to grow out of control and eventually form a tumor — a mass of cancerous cells.
Sometimes the cause of liver cancer is known, such as with chronic hepatitis infections. But sometimes liver cancer happens and it's not clear what causes it.
Risk factors
Factors that increase the risk of primary liver cancer include:
- Chronic infection with HBV or HCV.
- Cirrhosis.
- Certain inherited liver diseases.
- Diabetes.
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353659
