Liver Cancer

 

Like all other body organs, your liver can get cancer. Liver cancer is a disease in which some of the cells in your liver begin to reproduce faster than they should. This can lead to liver tumors, which are generally diagnosed by taking pictures of the liver with ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Having hepatitis B or hepatitis C can increase your chances of getting liver cancer, particularly a type of cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (or "HCC").

Most people with liver cancer do not have any symptoms from it. Those who do have symptoms often have some pain in the area of their liver (right side of the abdomen, under the ribs), or they may have a build-up of fluid in their abdomen (called "ascites").

Liver cancer can be deadly. If you find out that you have liver cancer, you need to get treated as soon as possible.

For much more information on liver cancer, please see Caring4Cancer.

Latest Hepatitis News
Impressive Vertex hepatitis C drug data unveiled

November 1, 2008 - A closely watched hepatitis C treatment being developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc showed an impressive ability to knock out the virus in patients who failed other treatments and those not previously treated for the serious liver disease, data from mid-stage studies show.

U.S. hepatitis A vaccine rates vary widely

January 25, 2012 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although about 85 percent of kids in two U.S. states have had a complete set of hepatitis A vaccines, overall just three in 10 have had both shots, according to a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Device makers urge coverage of weight-loss surgery

January 25, 2012 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - Device manufacturers are pushing the U.S. government and health insurers to cover weight-loss surgery, an effort that could give millions more obese Americans access to the treatments.

Arsenic cancer risk still high decades later

January 24, 2012 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People exposed to very high levels of arsenic in Chilean drinking water back in the 1950s and 60s are still showing a higher-than-normal risk of bladder cancer -- years after the arsenic problem was brought under control, a new study shows.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health