The liver is an organ with several functions, including filtering substances from the blood to be passed in stool and urine, producing bile and storing glycogen, which gives the body energy. When liver cancer is diagnosed, it is then staged based on the size and spread of the cancer, as well as if it is able to be removed surgically or not. Typically, the lower the stage, the better prognosis of disease.
Significance
The American Cancer Society estimates that over 24,000 new diagnoses of liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancers will be made in the United States in 2010; nearly 19,000 individuals will die from the disease. Liver cancer is more common in men than in women, but is still fairly rare; a man's lifetime risk is 1 in 100, and the lifetime risk for women is 1 in 217.
Risk Factors
There are various risk factors for liver cancer; having one or more risk factors does not mean a person will definitely develop the disease, it just increases his risk. The most common risk factor for developing liver cancer is having chronic viral hepatitis, which can lead to the development of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Diabetes, obesity, the use of anabolic steroids and certain inherited metabolic diseases like Wilson disease can all be risk factors for liver cancer as well.
Features
The National Cancer Institute describes Stage I liver cancer as having one tumor only, with no cancer in blood vessels near the tumor. It may also simply be classified as localized resectable cancer, where the cancer is only in the liver and is able to be completely removed with surgery.
Treatment
Stage I liver cancer is able to be easily treated, since it is localized and resectable. Treatment for this stage can include a partial hepatectomy, which is when part of the liver is removed; a hepatectomy, when the entire liver is removed, and a liver transplant is performed; and clinical trials with chemotherapy or biologic therapy after surgery is performed.
Prognosis
Survival rates for liver cancer are based on the percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis; this is called the five-year survival rate. Liver cancer survival is not based on the numeric stages, but based on whether the cancer is localized, regional or metastasized. Stage I liver cancer falls into the localized category, and the survival rate for this stage is 21 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.
References
- American Cancer Society: What are the key statistics about liver cancer?
- National Cancer Institute: Stages of Primary Liver Cancer
- National Cancer Institute: Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment
- American Cancer Society: Liver Cancer: What are the risk factors for liver cancer?
- American Cancer Society: What are the survival rates for liver cancer?
