Liver cancer develops from genetic mutations to liver cells that lead to uncontrolled liver cell growth and the formation of a tumor. The National Cancer Institute reports that cancer of the liver and bile duct led to 18,160 deaths and 22,620 new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2009. Liver cancer occurs in stages that progress as the tumor develops. Undetected or untreated liver cancer eventually progresses to end-stage cancer, which often proves fatal.
Stage IIIC
Stage IIIC liver cancer, a late-stage liver cancer, develops when tumor cells begin to invade neighboring tissues. Genetic changes in liver cancer cells allow the cells to produce proteins that aid in the invasion, and the cancer cells begin to colonize neighboring tissues to allow for more cancer growth. Patients with stage IIIC liver cancer have either developed cancerous growths toward a neighboring organ or have cancerous growths that have formed around the covering of the liver. Invasive cancers are distinct from metastatic cancers, which are cancers that have spread to organs outside the liver. If left untreated, however, the cancer cells will begin to invade other tissues and progress to more advanced stages of cancer.
Stage IVA
Stage IVA liver cancer is also an end-stage liver cancer. As stage IIIC liver cancer cells grow and develop, they begin to invade the neighboring tissues toward which they were growing. Stave IVA cancers are considered metastatic, but the cancer has only migrated into organs in close proximity to the liver. Patients with stage IVA liver cancer have developed cancer lesions in blood vessels, neighboring organs, or in lymph nodes surrounding the liver. Cancer growth in blood vessels and lymph nodes can lead to disruptions in blood or lymphatic fluid flow, and colonization of a neighboring organ can cause organ dysfunction and pain. Once the cells enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system, they may begin to spread throughout the body, leading to more advanced liver cancer.
Stage IVB
Stage IVB is the most advanced metastatic stage of liver cancer. Unlike stage IVA cancer, which spreads only to tissues around the liver, patients with stage IVB liver cancer have cancer that has metastasized to distant organs throughout the body. Cells can migrate around the body by traveling in the blood or lymphatic fluid and colonize in any distant tissue, or they can migrate directly to other organs within the abdominal cavity or into the chest cavity.
Liver cancer commonly metastasizes to the lungs and to bone tissue. Patients with lung metastases may experience shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or coughing up bloody mucus, whereas liver cancer metastasis to the bone can lead to joint pain and bone fracture. Generally, liver cancer has a poor prognosis---Medline Plus indicates that the average survival after diagnosis is three to six months. Patients may receive palliative therapy to increase quality of life and ease pain caused as the cancer progresses.
