As I discussed in my last post, Liver Cancer has a variety
of different types, both primary and secondary.
Additionally, I spent some time defining what exactly cancer itself is
before going too in depth about what liver cancer was. Before you can do too much research about the
other areas of liver cancer, it is extremely important that you understand what
it is. I highly suggest that if you need
a refresher that you refer back to my last blog post in order to make sure you
benefit from this next post as much as possible! J
Now that we have a strong understanding of what exactly
liver cancer is, we can start looking to answer another question about it. What are the causes of liver cancer? What are some of the symptoms of liver
cancer? If these are questions you are
currently asking yourself about liver cancer, you should be able to answer
these questions soon!
 |
| Liver that has suffered from Liver Cancer. |
What are some symptoms?
Unfortunately, most people don’t show signs of liver
cancer when it’s in the early stages of development. More times than not, symptoms of the common
forms of primary liver cancer show before the more rare types. As symptoms begin to appear patients may
notice some of the following signs:
·
Weight loss, without trying
·
Loss of appetite
·
Upper abdominal pain
·
Nausea and vomiting
·
General weakness and fatigue
·
Abdominal swelling
·
Skin turning yellow, as well as whites of the
eyes (jaundice)
·
White, chalky stools
 |
| Comparison of skin color for someone w/ and w/o jaundice. |
As with any other type of sickness, or cancer, it is
extremely important for patients to make an appointment with their doctor once
these symptoms begin to appear.
At this point in time, researchers don’t have a clear
answer for what exactly causes liver cancer.
However, they do have an idea of the cause in some cases. One cause appears to be found when a patient
has a hepatitis virus present within their body. When this disease is present, infections tend
to be long lasting, which in turn result in the development of liver
cancer. Just as I pointed out in my last
post, liver cancer becomes present when the DNA within liver cells begins to
form mutations. Once this happens, the
cells hold a strong possibility for growing out of control and developing a
tumor.
 |
| Comparison between Liver Tissue. |
Although researchers haven’t decided upon a clear cause
for liver cancer, they have been able to uncover what appear to be some
possible causes in patients who have been affected by liver cancer in the past. Typically primary liver cancer develops when
the liver has suffered some kind of damage.
This damage can happen through birth defects, alcohol abuse, and
infections from diseases, such as Hepatitis as I discussed above.
 |
Risk Factors...?
Now that we have a better idea of the symptoms and causes
of liver cancer, it’s important to also consider the risk factors that could
put any one at risk for developing liver cancer. A risk factor, according to the American
Cancer Society, is anything that affects a person’s chance of getting a
disease, such as cancer. It is extremely
important to keep in mind that just because a person meets some of these risk
factors does not automatically mean they are at risk of developing liver
cancer. What these risk factors
represent is what researchers have found to develop into liver cancer at some
point in time with other patients.
Additionally, some patients who discover they have liver cancer
sometimes do not meet any of the risk factors listed. This shows just exactly how difficult and
confusing liver cancer really is.
Some risk factors believed to lead to cancer include:
o
Gender: typically the most common form of liver
cancer develops in men
o
Race: in the U.S. Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders have the highest rate of liver cancer development
o
Cirrhosis: disease where liver cells become
damaged and are replaced by scar tissue
o
Chronic Viral Hepatitis, as I discussed above
o
Heavy alcohol use
o
Obesity
o
Type 2 Diabetes: patients with this risk factor
typically fall under another risk factor as well
o
Inherited Metabolic Diseases: can lead to
cirrhosis
o
Anabolic Steroids
 |
| Process of damaged liver due to alcohol consumption. |
Although these are not the only risk factors for liver
cancer, these tend to be some of the most popular risk factors among patients.
As we continue to look further into Liver Cancer, we will continue to take this information and use it towards new information in the near future!
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/basics/risk-factors/con-20025222
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/detailedguide/liver-cancer-risk-factors
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/liver-cancer-hepatocellular-carcinoma-hcc-directory
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/basics/risk-factors/con-20025222
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/detailedguide/liver-cancer-risk-factors
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/liver-cancer-hepatocellular-carcinoma-hcc-directory
No comments:
Post a Comment