The liver is a large, multifunctional organ that among other things helps to filter harmful substances from the blood and produces enzymes that help the body digest its food. Cancer of the liver is also called hepatocellular carcinoma.

At the Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Oncology Center, we treat both primary and metastatic liver cancer, which results from the spread of cancer from other areas of the body.

Risk factors:

Risk factors for liver cancer include:

• hepatitis B and C
• cirrhosis
• alcohol abuse
• use of anabolic steroids

Symptoms:

In the early stages of liver cancer, there are often no symptoms. As the disease progresses, the following symptoms may occur:

• fever
• jaundice (yellow skin and sclera of the eyes)
• abdominal swelling
• weakness and fatigue
• right-side abdominal or back pain
• weight loss
• nausea and vomiting

Treatment:

As with most cancers, surgery is generally the first treatment option for liver cancer as long as the cancer is found early enough and the patient is eligible to have the surgery. With primary resectable liver cancer, surgery alone is often the best course of treatment. With secondary (metastatic) liver cancer, chemotherapy, surgery, and sometimes radiation therapy can play a role in treatment.

Advanced liver cancer is very difficult to cure and is often treated with palliative methods to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. For patients with this type of liver cancer, UAB's clinical trials hold some promise for treatment breakthroughs.