Liver Cancer: Symptoms, Stages and Treatment

Liver cancer or hepatic cancer is the cancer that starts in the liver. It can be formed in the liver cells, the bile duct, immune cells, muscles and blood vessels of the liver. Many liver cancers are metastases, often of the cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common types of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma has symptoms such as anemia, emesis, abdominal mass and pain, jaundice, fever, etc. This cancer is generally detected at a later stage. Cholangiocarcinoma is associated with jaundice, liver enlargement, abdominal pain, sweating and weight loss. The primary cause of liver cancer is cirrhosis occurring due to hepatitis B and C, and excessive alcohol consumption. Many imaging techniques are used in the diagnosis of liver cancer, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, sonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, etc. Partial surgical resection, liver transplantation, percutaneous ablation, transarterial chemoembolization, photodynamic therapy, brachytherapy and radio frequency ablation are certain therapeutic procedures that may be used in the treatment of liver cancer. This book unravels the recent studies in the area of liver cancer. It consists of contributions made by international experts on the symptoms, stages and treatment of liver cancer. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge.