Liver Cancer Awareness Month: October

Facts

• Approximately 83% of liver cancer cases are diagnosed in developing regions of the world.
• 1 year survival rate of patients with liver cancer is 44% while the 5-year survival rate is 17%.
• 1 in 105 men and 1 in 195 women will present liver cancer during their lifetime.

The first step towards finding the right care for liver cancer is to have a better understanding of the disease. Liver cancer awareness month is observed to spread awareness among the general population and a bright emerald-green color ribbon is used to imply this objective.

Liver is the second most important organ in our body, weighing about three pound and located under the rib cage on the right side. It plays a major role in metabolism, hormone production, plasma protein synthesis, glycogen storage, bile secretion and detoxification. Liver cancer or hepatic cancer begins with the tissue of the liver and is the sixth most common cancer in the world.

Risk factors

• Chronic hepatic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)
• Cirrhosis
• Aflatoxins
• Alcohol consumption
• Male gender
• Family history
• Old age

Types

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer accounting of almost 75% of all liver cancer cases. Some other types of liver cancer are bile duct cancer, angiosarcoma, fibrolamellar carcinoma, hepatoblastoma etc. There is even a secondary type of liver cancer (liver metastasis) which develops when another primary cancer spreads to the liver (most commonly from colorectal cancer).

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms are not very specific and may include the following

Diagnosis

Treatment

Treatment generally depends on the number, size and location of the tumor. Also, the metastatic spread and the overall hepatic functionality determines the treatment course.

Liver transplantation, tumor ablation, embolization, targeted therapy, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the current treatment options for liver cancer patients.

Prevention

The American Cancer Society mentions that reducing exposure to known risk factors can prevent some incidences of liver cancer cases. Some of the listed measures are:

• Proper vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)
• Treatment of hepatitis infection
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Limiting tobacco use and alcohol consumption
• Avoiding exposure to cancer-causing chemicals
• Treatment of diseases like cirrhosis, which increase the  risk of liver cancer

Liver cancer is the second most common cause of death due to cancer, and in 2012 it was estimated to be responsible for nearly 746,000 cancer related deaths worldwide. People having some form of liver disease, are infected with HBV or HCV, and don’t even know it. Turacoz Healthcare Solutions supports the cause of Liver Cancer Awareness Month and urges everybody to become more conscious about their liver health and get screened for liver infections. Our accelerated efforts can help in preventing and treating liver cancer.