Cancer is a very scary word as almost everyone knows someone who got very sick or died from cancer. Most of the time, cancer affects older people as it build up over the years and often goes unnoticed until too late, which is why cancer is called a Silent Killer.
Cancer is simply defined as a disease of the cells in the body. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells. Cells in different parts of the body may look and work differently but most reproduce themselves in the same way. Cells are constantly becoming old and dying and new cells are produced to replace them. Normally, cells divide in an orderly and controlled manner. If for some reason the process gets out of control, the cells carry on dividing, developing into a lump which is called a tumour.
HOW A NORMAL CELL BECOME CANCEROUS
Normal CellsCancer Cells
Normal body cells grow, divide and die in an orderly fashion but cancer cells just continue to grow and divide out of control and don't die when they're supposed to. During the early years of a person's life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries. Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, cancer cells outlive normal cells and keep forming new abnormal cells. Another difference between cancer cells and normal cells is that cancer cells can grow out of control and invade (grow into) other tissues. Cancer cells usually group or clump together to form tumors. A growing tumor becomes a lump of cancer cells that can destroy the normal cells around the tumor and damage the body's healthy tissues.
Cells become cancer cells because of damage to DNA. Most of the time, when DNA gets damaged the cell can fix it and if the cell can’t repair the damage, the cell dies. In cancer cells the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesn’t die like it should. Instead, this cell goes on making new cells even though the body does not need them. These new cells will all have the same DNA damage as the first cell does. People can inherit damaged DNA, but most of the time DNA damage is caused by something we are exposed to in our environment.
HOW CANCER GROW AND SPREADS
Cancer starts from a tumor, which is formed from an abnormal growth of cells or tissues. Sometimes, cancer cells breaks away from the original tumor and travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or lymph vessels, where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue to form a new tumor. The spread of a tumor to a new place in the body is called metastasis.
There are more than 200 different kinds of cancer, each with its own name and treatment. Not all tumors are cancerous. There are two categories of tumors:-
BENIGN OR NON-CANCEROUS TUMORS
Non-cancerous or benign liver tumorsare common and they do not spread to other areas of the body. However, benign tumors can still cause problems as they can grow very large and press on the surrounding organs.
MALIGNANT OR CANCEROUS TUMORS
Cancerous liver tumors can be fatal. Most of the time, cancerous tumors that starts in the liver are called primary liver cancer while cancerous tumors that’s started in another organ and spread to the liver are called metastatic liver cancer or secondary liver cancer.
HOW CANCER DIFFER
Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.
HOW COMMON IS CANCER
Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide and millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, for example, by quitting smoking and eating a better diet. Often, the sooner a cancer is found and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many years.
WHAT IS LIVER CANCER?
Liver cancer is cancer of the liver which can be differentiated into two categories-
- is cancer of the liver which started from other organs such as the breast, lung,
prostate, bowel, stomach or pancreas and has spread to the liver.
Liver cancers are silent killers because thus disease built-up over the years. Because the liver has no major pain nerves, this deadly health condition often goes unnoticed until too late leading to liver failure and death. It is important to note that all forms of primary or secondary liver cancers are fatal and you are advised to consult a doctor when you experience some of the symptoms provided.
WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF LIVER CANCER PROBLEM?
Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world. A deadly cancer, liver cancer will kill almost all patients who have it within a year. About three quarters of the cases of liver cancer are found in Southeast Asia.
Liver cancer is high among Asians because liver cancer is closely linked to chronic hepatitis B infection. This is especially so in individuals who have been infected with chronic hepatitis B for most of their lives.
PRIMARY LIVER CANCER - HEPATOCELLULAR CARSINOMA(HCC)
CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA (BILE DUCT CANCER)
Cholangiocarcinoma accounts for 1 or 2 out of every 10 cases of liver cancer. These cancers start in the small tubes (called bile ducts) that carry bile to the gallbladder.
ANGIOSARCOMA AND HEMAGIOSARCOMA
Angiosarcomaandhemangiosarcoma: These are rare forms of cancer that start in the blood vessels of the liver. These tumors grow quickly. Often by the time they are found they are too widespread to be removed. Treatment may help slow the disease, but most patients do not live more than a year after these cancers are found.
HEPATOBLASTOMA
Hepatoblastoma: There is a very rare kind of liver cancer that develops in children. It is usually found in children younger than 4 years old. About 70% of children with this disease are treated successfully with surgery and chemotherapy. The survival rate is greater than 90% for early-stage disease.
HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC)
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer in adults. It begins in the hepatocytes, the main type of liver cell. HCC can have different growth patterns - Some begin as a single tumor that grows larger and only spreads to other parts of the liver in late stages. This type of cancer may also begin in many spots throughout the liver, not as a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with cirrhosis. HCC occurs more commonly in Asian men than in women between the ages of 40-50 years.
SECONDARY LIVER CANCER (METASTATIC CANCER)
Most of the time when cancer is found in the liver it did not start there, but started somewhere else - the bowel, breats, pancreas, stomach, lung, ovary and spread to the liver. This is called metastatic cancer.
Under a microscope, theses cancer cells in the liver look like the cancer cells that they came from. If someone has lung cancer that has spread to the liver, the cells there will look and act like lung cancer cells and they will be treated the same way.
WHAT CAUSES LIVER CANCER?
Although several risk factors for liver cancer are known, the exact way in which these factors cause normal liver cells to become cancerous is only partially understood. However, studies have shown that liver cancer occurs when liver cells develop changes or mutates in their DNA, causing changes for every chemical process in your body. One result is that cells may begin to grow out of control and eventually form a mass of malignant cells (tumor). In many patients, liver tumors result from the spread of another cancer, most commonly from the colon, rectum, breast or kidney to the liver through the bloodstream.
Liver cancer frequently arises in the setting of cirrhosis, appearing 20-30 years following the initial insult to the liver. Survival length depends largely on the extent of cirrhosis in the liver as patients have shorter survival times due to limited therapeutic options. Surgery may provide a possible remedy in fewer than 5% of all patients. End stage of primary liver cancer generally leads to death within 6-20 months.
THE STAGES OF LIVER CANCER
Stage 1- At this stage, liver cancer is a single tumor (no bigger than 2cm in size) confined to
the liver that has begun to spread. (At this stage, the patient starts to weaken)
Stage 2- The cancer is affecting blood vessels in the liver or there is more thanone tumor in the
liver. (At this stage, the patient's condition deterioates further and may require the use
of equipments to support motion)
Stage 3A- The cancer is bigger than 5cm (2in) in size or has spread to the bloodvessels near the
liver.
Stage 3B- The cancer has spread to nearby organs, such as the bowel or thestomach, but has
not spread to the lymph nodes.
Stage 3C- The cancer can be of any size and has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
(At these stages, the patient will most likely require a wheelchair for motion)
Stage 4- The cancer has spread to parts of the body further away from the liver,such as the
lungs. This is also known as the end stage liver cancer.
(This is the last stage where the patient is bedridden awaiting their final moment)
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR LIVER CANCER?
The exact cause of primary liver cancer is still unknown as different cancers have different risk factors. There are a number of factors that increase your risk of developing liver cancer and these include:
Aflatoxin - in Africa and Asia a poison called aflatoxin, found in mouldy peanuts wheat, soybeans, ground nuts, corn, and rice. Long-term exposure to these substances is a major risk factor for liver cancer especially in people with hepatitis B or C infections.
Age - primary cancer of the liver usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people as it takes prolonged time to built-up. Liver cancer can also, although rarely affect children and young adults.
Anabolic steroids - male hormones used by some athletes to increase their strength. Long-term anabolic steroid use can slightly increase the risk of hepatocellular cancer.
Arsenic - chronic exposure to drinking water contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic, such as that from some wells, increases the risk of some types of liver cancer. This is more common in parts of South East Asia.
Chronic Viral Infections - with either the hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus can lead to liver cancer. This can also be the cause of cirrhosis, which in turn increases the risk of developing hepatoma. The risk is greater in those that also smoke.
Cirrhosis - most people who develop hepatoma usually also have a condition called cirrhosis of the liver. This is a fine scarring throughout the liver which is due to a variety of causes including infection and heavy alcohol drinking over a long period of time.
Diabetes - can also increase the risk of liver cancer, usually in patients who have other risk factors such as heavy alcohol consumption and/or chronic viral hepatitis.
Inherited Conditions - people who have a condition called haemochromatosis, which causes excess deposits of iron in the body, or the condition alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency, have a higher chance of developing hepatoma.
Obesity- may increase the risk of developing liver cancer, probably because it can result in fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
Sex - primary liver cancer affects more in men than in women.
HOW IS LIVER CANCER DETECTED?
Most people don't have signs and symptoms in the early stages of liver cancer until the later stages. This is why early detection is difficult. When symptoms do occur, they may include:
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LIVER CANCER
Although signs and symptoms are usually not present until the late stages of liver cancer, sometimes they may show up early and lead to an early diagnosis. If you go to your doctor when you first notice symptoms, your cancer might be diagnosed and treated while it is curable or at the least, you could live longer with a better quality of life. Some of the most common symptoms of liver cancer are:
- an enlarged liver, felt as a mass under the ribs on the right side
- ascites - abdominal fluid build up.
- constant pain in the abdomen
- enlarged veins on the belly that become visible through the skin
- fatigue
- feeling full after a small meal - fever without infection
- general weakness
- indigestion
- itching - jaundice (yellowing of the eye and the skin).
- loss of appetite
- nausea or vomiting
- pain on the right side of the upper abdomen or around the right shoulder blade
- unexplained weight loss
- vomiting
- worsening of condition if you have chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis
Many of the signs and symptoms of liver cancer can also be caused by conditions other than liver cancer. Still, if you have any of these problems, it's important to see your doctor right away so the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
MEDICAL HISTORY AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
Your doctor will take your complete medical history to check for risk factors and symptoms. Your doctor will also examine you to look for signs of liver cancer and other health problems. He or she will probably pay special attention to your abdomen.
If symptoms and/or the results of the physical exam suggest liver cancer might be present, more involved tests will likely be done. These might include imaging tests, lab tests, and other procedures.
WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR LIVER CANCER PATIENTS?
A successful liver transplant will effectively cure liver cancer, but it is an option for a small percentage of patients. Surgical resections are successful in only about one out of three cases.
Note:
If you experience any of the symptoms, please consult a medical doctor immediately. Liver cancer is FATAL!
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and communication purpose only, for use in the maintenance and promotion of good health and should not be construed as personal medical advice or presented with the intention of diagnosing any disease or condition or prescribing any treatment. Bio Healthcare Enterprise shall hold No responsibility or liability on any untoward effects or incidents which may arise as a result of any misinterpretation of this information.
