What is liver cancer?
Liver cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the liver cells. The liver is a football-sized organ located in the upper right part of the abdomen under the septum and above the stomach. There are a number of cancers that affect the liver. The most common liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, which begins in major liver cells. Other less common types of liver cancer include hepatoblastoma and hepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Not all cancers that affect the liver are considered liver cancer. If cancer starts in another organ or area of the body – such as the colon, lungs, or breast – and then spreads to the liver, it is cancer that has spread to the liver, not liver cancer. Cancers that spread to the liver are more common than cancers that originate in hepatocytes.
What are the symptoms and signs of liver cancer?
Most patients with early-stage liver cancer do not have signs and symptoms. When symptoms and signs appear, they include:
- Unintentional weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Nausea and vomiting
- General weakness and fatigue
- Flatulence
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Cretaceous white exit
