Liver Cancer in Margate, FL
What Is Liver Cancer?
Liver cancer is cancer in the cells of your liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, which occurs in the main liver cells, known as hepatocytes.
Risk Factors for Liver Cancer
Several factors can increase the risk of liver cancer, but liver cancer can also develop without any underlying medical condition. These are some of the risk factors for liver cancer:
- Diabetes
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Fatty liver disease
- Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Inherited liver diseases including Wilson’s disease
Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer
There are several signs and symptoms of liver cancer which are important to recognize. These include:
- Jaundice
- Unexplained weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Chronic nausea and vomiting
- Chronic weakness
- Swelling in the abdomen
- Stools with a white, chalky color and texture
Prevention of Liver Cancer
You can do a lot to prevent liver cancer if you reduce your risk of cirrhosis of the liver. You can do this by reducing your alcohol consumption and maintaining a healthy weight. Other ways to prevent liver cancer include:
- Getting the hepatitis B vaccination
- Preventing hepatitis C infection by not using intravenous street drugs, going to sanitary piercing and tattoo shops, and knowing the health of sexual partners
Treatment of Liver Cancer
Treatment of liver cancer varies, depending on the stage of cancer, your age, and overall health. Liver cancer treatments include:
- Surgery to remove the tumor
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted drug therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Liver transplant surgery
- Ablation or heating of cancer cells
- Cryoablation or freezing of cancer cells
- Injection of chemotherapy drugs into the liver
- Radiation beads inserted into the liver
- Palliative care to increase comfort and help patients live longer