There are many forms of liver cancer. Some types are common, but others are extremely rare. Most types of liver cancer can have similar symptoms related to their presence. Some liver cancers have a much better outlook than others. Liver cancer occurs when liver cells grow atypically.
This article takes an in-depth look at several types of liver cancers, highlighting their symptoms, incidence rate. It also discusses how doctors diagnose and classify this disease.
1 Hepatocellular carcinoma
Scientists define hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as an important form of primary liver cancer. Liver cancers initially form in the liver. HCC usually develops in people with cirrhosis due to preexisting chronic liver problems, such as alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease, or chronic viral hepatitis. According to a 2022 article in the journal Trusted Source, HCC accounts for approximately 90% of primary liver cancers. It is the fifth most common form of cancer worldwide and affects approximately 2-4% of people with cirrhosis.
The symptoms of HCC are:
abdominal pain
abdominal distention
accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
weightloss
feeling full faster than usual
fever
hyperglycemia
high blood calcium level
itchy skin
jaundice
2 Fibrolamellar carcinoma
Scientists describe hepatocellular fibrolamellar carcinoma (CHF-FL) as a different type of liver cancer than HCC. According to a 2022 paper, unlike HCC, which typically affects people over the age of 50, FL-HCC most commonly affects people between the ages of 5 and 35, mostly in their second and third decades of life. . FL-HCC accounts for only regarding 1% of primary liver cancers. A 2021 study estimates that FL-HCC affects only regarding 0.02 in every 100,000 people. Symptoms of FL-HCC include abdominal pain and liver enlargement or abdominal mass.
3 Cholangiocarcinome
Technically speaking, cholangiocarcinoma is not liver cancer. However, it can affect the liver. Cholangiocarcinoma is cancer of the bile ducts, which are the tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine. Cholangiocarcinomas develop from the network of bile ducts that exist inside the liver. They are the second most common primary cancers affecting the liver, HCC being the first.
According to a 2019 study, cholangiocarcinoma affects approximately 1.26 people per 100,000 people between 2001 and 2015.
Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma are:
abdominal pain
weight loss
fever
night sweats
fatigue
itchy skin
jaundice
clay-colored stools
dark colored urine
4 Angiosarcome du foie
Angiosarcoma is a cancer of the blood and lymph vessels. When it starts in the blood or lymph vessels inside the liver, scientists call it liver angiosarcoma. Although liver angiosarcoma is the third most common primary cancer affecting the liver, it accounts for only 0.1% to 2% of these cancers. However, because it is so infrequent, scientists cannot estimate its incidence with certainty.
Symptoms of liver angiosarcoma are as follows:
abdominal pain
abdominal distention
weightloss
fatigue
jaundice
5 Hepatoblastoma
Scientists consider hepatoblastoma to be a primary liver cancer. It is the most common liver cancer in children and infants. Most cases of hepatoblastoma begin within the first 2 years of life. The overall incidence of this disease remains unclear. A 2019 article states that between 2000 and 2015, the incidence of hepatoblastoma fell from 1.89 to 2.16 per 1,000,000 people.
Symptoms of hepatoblastoma are:
a painful, rapidly growing abdominal mass
weight loss
anorexia
6 Liver metastases
Health professionals define liver metastases as liver cancers that start in another part of the body and eventually spread to the liver. Doctors sometimes call these secondary liver cancers. A 2022 article notes that the liver is one of the most common organs in which other cancers spread. If a non-liver cancer metastasizes, there is a 25% chance that it will spread to the liver.
Symptoms of liver metastases are:
abdominal distension
accumulation of fluid in the abdomen
feeling full faster than usual
changes in bowel habits
metabolic changes
weightloss
jaundice
bloody stools
encephalopathy
Contact a doctor
Anyone with symptoms of liver cancer should see a doctor. Indeed, an early diagnosis can change a person’s future prospects.
Diagnostic et stadification
If doctors suspect a person has liver cancer, they may recommend additional tests. Tests for liver cancer may include imaging techniques, biopsies, and blood tests. Doctors can also use some of these techniques to determine the stage of a person’s liver cancer. Understanding liver cancer takes several factors into account:
the size and number of liver tumors
the extent of spread to nearby lymph nodes or nearby organs
the extent of spread to distant lymph nodes or distant organs.
There are four main stages of liver cancer. However, health experts still divide stages 1, 3, and 4 into two substages. Higher stages represent more advanced cancer.
Résumé
Liver cancer is a disease that takes many forms. Some liver cancers start inside the liver, while others spread from other cancers. Many liver cancers affect older people. However, some liver cancers are more common in people in the early stages of life. The outlook for liver cancer is highly variable. For example, hepatoblastoma has a fairly high survival rate, at least with treatment. In contrast, the outlook for people with liver metastases, cholangiocarcinoma, or liver angiosarcoma is quite poor.
Despite this, getting an early diagnosis can significantly increase the survival rate of someone with liver cancer.
