Hepatocellular carcinoma is cancer of the liver.
Alternative NamesPrimary liver cell carcinoma; Tumor - liver; Liver cancer; Cancer - liver
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsHepatocellular carcinoma accounts for most liver cancers. This type of cancer occurs more often in men than women. It is usually seen in people ages 50 - 60.
The disease is more common in parts of Africa and Asia than in North or South America and Europe.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is not the same as metastatic liver cancer, which starts in another organ (such as the breast or colon) and spreads to the liver.
In most cases, the cause of liver cancer is usually scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis may be caused by:
Patients with hepatitis B or C are at risk for liver cancer, even if they do not have cirrhosis.
SymptomsPhysical examination may show an enlarged, tender liver.
Tests include:
Some high-risk patients may get periodic blood tests and ultrasounds to see whether tumors are developing.
TreatmentAggressive surgery or a liver transplant can successfully treat small or slow-growing tumors if they are diagnosed early. However, few patients are diagnosed early.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are not usually effective. However, they may be used to shrink large tumors so that surgery has a greater chance of success.
Sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), an oral medicine that blocks tumor growth, is now approved for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Support GroupsYou can ease the stress of illness by joining a support group with members who share common experiences and problems. See:
Expectations (prognosis)The usual outcome is poor, because only 10 - 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas can be removed completely using surgery.
If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually fatal within 3 - 6 months. However, survival can vary, and occasionally people will survive much longer than 6 months.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider if you develop persistent abdominal pain, especially if you have a history of any liver disease.
PreventionPreventing and treating viral hepatitis may help reduce your risk. Childhood vaccination against hepatitis B may reduce the risk of liver cancer in the future.
Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Certain patients may benefit from screening for hemochromatosis.
If you have chronic hepatitis or known cirrhosis, periodic screening with liver ultrasound or measurement of blood alpha fetoprotein levels may help detect this cancer early.
ReferencesNational Cancer Institute. Adult primary liver cancer treatment PDQ. Updated May 22, 2009.
Roberts LR. Liver and biliary tract tumors. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 206.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is cancer of the liver.
Alternative NamesPrimary liver cell carcinoma; Tumor - liver; Liver cancer; Cancer - liver; Hepatoma
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsHepatocellular carcinoma accounts for most liver cancers. This type of cancer occurs more often in men than women. It is usually seen in people age 50 or older. However, the age varies in different parts of the world.
The disease is more common in parts of Africa and Asia than in North or South America and Europe.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is not the same as metastatic liver cancer, which starts in another organ (such as the breast or colon) and spreads to the liver.
In most cases, the cause of liver cancer is usually scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis may be caused by:
Patients with hepatitis B or C are at risk for liver cancer, even if they have not developed cirrhosis.
SymptomsPhysical examination may show an enlarged, tender liver.
Tests include:
Some high-risk patients may get regular blood tests and ultrasounds to see whether tumors are developing.
TreatmentAggressive surgery or a liver transplant can successfully treat small or slow-growing tumors if they are diagnosed early. However, few patients are diagnosed early.
Chemotherapy delivered straight into the liver with a catheter can help, but it will not cure the disease. Radiation treatments in the area of the cancer may also be helpful. However, many patients have liver cirrhosis or other liver diseases that make these treatments more difficult.
Sorafenib tosylate (Nexavar), an oral medicine that blocks tumor growth, is now approved for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Support GroupsYou can ease the stress of illness by joining a support group with members who share common experiences and problems. See:
Expectations (prognosis)The usual outcome is poor, because only 10 - 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas can be removed completely using surgery.
If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually fatal within 3 - 6 months. However, survival can vary, and occasionally people will survive much longer than 6 months.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider if you develop persistent abdominal pain, especially if you have a history of any liver disease.
PreventionPreventing and treating viral hepatitis may help reduce your risk. Childhood vaccination against hepatitis B may reduce the risk of liver cancer in the future.
Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Certain patients may benefit from screening for hemochromatosis.
If you have chronic hepatitis or known cirrhosis, periodic screening with liver ultrasound or measurement of blood alpha fetoprotein levels may help detect this cancer early.
ReferencesNational Cancer Institute. Adult primary liver cancer treatment PDQ. Updated July 8, 2010.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Hepatobiliary cancers: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma. 2011. Version 2.2011.
Roberts LR. Liver and biliary tract tumors. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 202.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 08/24/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world as of 2004.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is much more common outside the United States, representing 10% to 50% of malignancies in Africa and parts of Asia.
Seropositivity for hepatitis B surface antigen may be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma because hepatitis B virus infection is a common cause of cirrhosis.
There is no such thing as "hepacocllulan carcinoma", but hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer of the liver associated with viral hepatitis, poisonous mushroom ingestion, and fungal toxins.
Yes, "hepatic liver cancer" and "hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of the liver" are referring to the same condition. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer, and it specifically refers to cancer that begins in the hepatocytes, which are the main type of liver cells. "Hepatic" simply means "related to the liver," so "hepatic liver cancer" is another way to describe hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer that originates in the liver cells.
Shinji Nakae died on June 28, 2007, in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Jin Takaiwa died on January 29, 2008, in Aoba, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan of hepatocellular carcinoma.
The root word of hepatoma is hepa which means liver. Hepatoma or Hepatocellular Carcinoma is the cancer of the liver.
A dangerous cancer of the liver that may develop in patients who have had hepatitis, sometimes as long as 20 or 30 years earlier.
AST higher than ALT but levels lower than that seen in alcoholic disease
James Earl Ray died of Hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer, on April 23, 1998.
The cause of his death was hepatocellular carcinoma (basically liver cancer). He was addicted to heroin for a long period of his life though.