What is Liver Cancer?

The liver is an organ whose primary functions include releasing bile into the intestines to aid in digestion, breaking down and storing nutrients, clearing medications from the body and removing toxic substances from the blood. The liver also produces protein and clotting factors. The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, and is located in the upper-right-hand part of the abdominal cavity, just under the ribcage and beneath the diaphragm.

Liver cancer is a cancer that develops in the liver. It could be either a primary liver cancer when the cancer has developed from liver cells, or secondary liver cancer/liver metastasis when the cancer has developed in another organ and spread to the liver. In liver metastases, the neoplastic cells reach the liver by the blood stream.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) - HCC begins in the hepatocytes, the main type of liver cell. HCC is the most common form of primary liver cancer accounting for nearly 75% of all cancers of the liver. HCC is more common in men.
• Cholangiocarcinoma - Cholangiocarcinoma starts in the bile ducts of the liver and makes up 10%-20% of all primary liver cancers. Cholangiocarcinoma is more common in women. Please refer to "Understanding Bile Duct Cancer" for more information.
• Angiosarcoma or hemangiosarcoma - Angiosarcomas and hemangiosarcomas are rare forms of primary liver cancers that begin in the blood vessels of the liver. Please refer to "Understanding Soft-tissue sarcoma" for more information.
• Hepatoblastoma - Hepatoblastoma is another rare form of primary liver cancer found only in children. Most children with hepatoblastoma are under the age of four. The majority of children with hepatoblastomas are treated successfully. Some children with hepatoblastoma have Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Please refer to "Understanding Hepatoblastoma" for more information.