Liver cancer can be classified into different forms, depending on the type of tissue that is being affected. For liver cancer, masses need to be seen on either the liver or the various structures that pass through the liver. Cancer can affect the glands of the liver (adenoma), liver blood vessels (hemangioma), the liver cells (Hepatocellulat carcinoma) or the bile ducts of the liver (cholangiocarcinoma). The type of cancer influences the doctor's choice of treatment.
Benign Liver Tumors
There are some masses that do not spread to other sites of the body and therefore are less serious forms of cancer. Benign tumors stay in the organ where they first started growing and can be removed surgically. CancerHelp UK reports that most cases of liver cancer are benign. Benign tumors can almost always be removed surgically. For a benign tumor, surgical removal is curative and patients with these tumors do not need chemotherapy.
Hepatocellular adenoma is a benign tumor that most often occurs in women of childbearing age. Liver adenomas begin in the glands of the liver. An adenoma can grow large enough to rupture through the liver and cause bleeding. Adenomas, if they are symptomatic, can cause pain in the upper part of the abdomen and they can damage the liver leading to jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or sclera. If this happens, surgery is needed to remove the tumor and repair the liver.
There are times when liver cancer is a mass of abnormal blood vessels. Such a cancer is termed a hemangioma. According to the University of Virginia Health System, up to 5 percent of adults have small liver angiomas that do not present with any symptoms. If the hemangioma becomes too large, then surgery may be required.
Primary Liver Cancer
Primary liver cancers are cancers that begin in the liver. The cancer originated in the tissues of the liver and spread in the body. There are many types of primary liver cancers.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the most common adult liver cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. An estimated 75 percent of all primary liver cancers are HCC. Hepatocellular carcinoma begins in the hepatocytes, which are the main type of liver cell. HCC can start of as a single mass or as multiple masses. In late stages of HCC, the cancer spreads to other organs and lymph nodes.
Cholangiocarcinoma is cancer that originates in liver bile ducts. There are bile ducts both inside and outside of the liver. If the cancer starts in the bile ducts within the liver, then it is called intrahepatic (meaning inside the liver) cholangiocarcinoma and is a classification of liver cancer. If the cancer is found in one of the bile ducts outside of the liver, then it is termed extrahepatic (outside the liver) cholangiocarcinoma and is considered bile duct cancer.
Liver cancer can begin in the blood vessels of the liver. These cancers are rare, and if they spread quickly and invade other parts of the liver or other organs, then the American Cancer Society classifies then as angiosarcomas. Another term for angiosarcomas is hemangiosarcomas. In most cases, this type of liver cancer spreads so quickly that once the cancer is discovered it is too late to operate. There are some treatments that can slow down the spread, but most patients do not survive more than one year after initial diagnosis.
Hepatoblastoma is a rare kind of liver cancer that is most commonly found in young children and infants. The American Caner Society states that approximately 70 percent of children with the disease recover, and if the cancer is caught in its early stages, then the survival rate is more than 90 percent. Hepatoblastomas can increase the production of hormones that prompt early puberty.
Secondary Liver Cancer
Cancers that are found in the liver do not always originate from the liver. Some cancers spread from other organs and attach to the liver. This spread is called metastasis. This type of liver cancer is called secondary liver cancer or metastatic cancer. According to CancerHelp UK, most malignant liver cancer is secondary. This type of cancer is usually found in patients who are suffering from advanced cases of different forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer or lung cancer. The method that doctors use to determine where the cancer originated is to take a microscopic sample of the cancer. The cancer mass is always composed of cells from the organ where it originated. Therefore, cancer that originated in the lung and spread to the liver will still be made up of lung cells even when it is found on the liver.
