Liver Cancer And How Can We Avoid It And Reduce Its Risks

• Grizzly Bear
• 03/15/2019
• 1835
• 2,134

Human body is a living miracle that contains many integrating systems living and interacting with each other in harmony. Every organ in our body is committed to a specific job and one of the most important organs in our body is the Liver.

• What is the liver?

Liver is the largest organ in the body. It weighs approximately 1.5 kilograms (or slightly over 3 pounds). It resides in the upper abdomen on the right side in an area called by physicians (The Right Hypochondrium). Because most of the liver is underneath and protected by the right rib cage, you normally cannot feel it. The liver has numerous functions. It is responsible for making many different proteins. It can be considered as the furnace of the body because it is the primary source of energy. It also acts as a filter to remove waste and toxins from our blood. The liver makes bile, which empties into the intestine. Bile contains waste products as well as substances that help us to digest fat.

• What is liver cancer?  

Like any other organ, the liver is made of basic elements called cells. Cells are the smallest structural of the living organism. Cells are born and die, and thus, the body is always in need of new cells to replenish the older and dead ones. This is a very tightly regulated T phenomenon in the body. In certain instances, a cell becomes capable of dividing in an uncontrolled fashion, and a cancer may then form and grow. Although the cells of a certain organ such as the liver are highly specialized and perform the tasks that are assigned to them, a tumor can lose some of its normal functions and/or acquire other new functions. One of the functions that cancer cells can acquire is the ability to grow and invade into the healthy parts of the same organ or a neighboring one. Cancer cells also can steal blood supply from normal tissue or form new blood supply in order to grow larger. Cancer cells may even travel distances to other organs or places in the body to establish new tumors. This process is called metastasis.

• Are there different types of liver cancer?

Two broad categories of liver cancer exist: primary and secondary. Primary liver cancer means that e tumor originated in the liver. A tumor can start from any of the different types of cells that normally exist in the liver. Hepatocellular cancer is the most common type of primary liver cancer. It is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma for short and is often abbreviated HCC. Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) arises from hepatocytes. There is a subtype of HCC called fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. It makes up less than 5 percent of all HCCs. It tends to occur in young adults and is typically not associated with an underlying liver ease. In general, it carries a better prognosis. The other types of primary liver cancer are rare. the Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer that arises from bile ducts within the liver. Mixed hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma is a tumor that contains of both HCC and cholangiocarcinoma. Heptoblastoma is a primary liver cancer. Cancer also can arise in the gallbladder. A variety of other very rare primary liver tumors exist.

Secondary liver cancer means that the cancer originated somewhere else in the body. Many cancers, like those of the colon, breast, and pancreas, can spread or metastasize to the liver. These patients do not have "liver cancer" in the way that doctors use the phrase. Instead, they have metastases to their liver. For example, if a breast cancer spreads to the liver, it is called metastatic breast cancer and is not referred to as liver cancer.

• Is hepatocellular cancer common?

About 15,000 new cases of HCC are seen only in the United States per year, making it uncommon compared with many other tumors. However, frequency of the disease has increased by 75 percent this country over the last decade, especially because of increased incidence of hepatitis C and a newly recognized condition of nonalcohol - associated fatty liver disease (also known as NAFLD). In contrast, HCC is one of the most common tumors in the world, with nearly a million new people affected per year. This is largely because of association with chronic viral hepatitis.

• How can I reduce my risk of getting liver cancer?

A number of things can be done to lower the risk of A getting liver cancer. If you already have chronic hepatitis, then you should consult with your doctor about taking medication to help clear the virus from your body. You also should avoid behavior that may expose you to another type of hepatitis virus. For instance, if you have chronic hepatitis B and you become infected with hepatitis C, having both chronic hepatitis B substantially raises your risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Obviously, if you use excessive alcohol, seek medical help to treat your dependency. Also, excessive alcohol use should be avoided if you have chronic hepatitis. If you have an inherited disease that puts you at higher risk of liver cancer, work closely with your doctor to optimize the treatment of you. obese should be under close medical attention. Similarly, if you have concerns regarding environmental exposures you should consult with an environmental medicine physician and possibly a liver specialist. If you develop liver cancer, it would be very important to may condition. Patients who have diabetes or are severely obese should be under close medical attention. Because reducing those risks may improve your liver function and help you avoid developing more primary liver cancer.

We hope that you, your family and friends find the answers and comfort you need through reading this article. Knowledge empowers, and as more advocates sound their voice, we believe this will help raise awareness in the battle against liver cancer.

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