Hepatocellular carcinoma

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Digestive system

Hepatocellular cancer, CT scan

Liver biopsy

Primary liver cell carcinoma; Tumor - liver; Liver cancer; Cancer - liver

Aggressive surgery or liver transplantation may be successful in treating small or slow-growing tumors if they are diagnosed early.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are not usually effective but may be used to shrink large tumors so that surgery has a greater chance of success.

The stress of illness can often be eased by joining a support group with members who share common experiences and problems. See liver disease - support group and cancer - support group.

The usual outcome is poor, because only 10 - 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas can be removed completely using surgery. If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually deadly within 3 to 6 months, although this varies greatly. Survival much longer than this occasionally occurs.

• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Liver failure
• Spread (metastasis) of the carcinoma

Call your health care provider if persistent abdominal pain develops, particularly if there has been a history of any liver disease.

Review Date: 09/11/2006
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.