Liver Cancer Summary Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Primary liver cancer starts in the liver. Metastatic liver cancer starts somewhere else and spreads to your liver. Risk factors for primary liver cancer include Having hepatitis B or C Heavy alcohol use Having cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver Having hemochromatosis, an iron storage disease Obesity and diabetes Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms until the cancer is advanced. This makes it harder to treat. Doctors use tests that examine the liver and the blood to diagnose liver cancer. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or liver transplantation. NIH: National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute Encyclopedia 5′-nucleotidase Abdominal CT scan Abdominal exploration Abdominal MRI Alpha fetoprotein Biopsy – biliary tract Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) blood test Liver biopsy Array Abdominal exploration – slideshow Abdominal tap After chemotherapy – discharge Hepatocellular carcinoma Liver metastases Diagnosis and Tests Abdominal Ultrasound Array ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening National Cancer Institute Liver Biopsy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Needle Biopsy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Risks of Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening National Cancer Institute Stages of Adult Primary Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute Tests for Liver Cancer American Cancer Society Find an Expert American Cancer Society American Cancer Society American Liver Foundation American Liver Foundation Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute Statistics and Research Cancer of the Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct National Cancer Institute What’s New in Liver Cancer Research and Treatment? American Cancer Society Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoma, Hepatocellular National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hepatoblastoma National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver Neoplasms National Institutes of Health Treatments and Therapies Cryosurgery in Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers National Cancer Institute Cryotherapy Array Interventional Radiology Treatments for Liver Cancer Society of Interventional Radiology MedlinePlus: Liver Transplantation National Library of Medicine Radiofrequency Ablation of Liver Tumors Array Treatment Option Overview (Adult Primary Liver Cancer) National Cancer Institute Treatment Options for Adult Primary Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute Reference Desk Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute Related Issues Do We Know What Causes Liver Cancer? American Cancer Society Know HBV: What Every Asian and Pacific Islander Should Know About Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Stanford University, Asian Liver Center What Should You Ask Your Doctor about Liver Cancer? American Cancer Society Start Here General Information about Adult Primary Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute General Information about Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer National Cancer Institute What Is Liver Cancer? American Cancer Society What You Need to Know about Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute Children General Information about Childhood Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute Liver Tumors (For Parents) Nemours Foundation Stages of Childhood Liver Cancer National Cancer Institute Prevention and Risk Factors Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention National Cancer Institute Liver Panel American Association for Clinical Chemistry Journal Articles Liver Cancer Patient Handouts Understanding Chemotherapy National Cancer Institute What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy National Cancer Institute Living With What Happens After Treatment for Liver Cancer? American Cancer Society
