Liver Cancer and Liver Disease

An Overview
Located underneath the rib cage on your right side, your liver is one of the largest organs in your body. Among other important functions, it works to cleanse your system of toxins and aid in digestion.

A liver lesion is any abnormal area of the liver and such lesions are often found in the liver. They may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Liver lesions that we evaluate and treat include:

• Liver cancer

• Colon or rectal cancer that has spread to the liver

• Neuroendocrine or carcinoid tumors that have spread to the liver

• Gallbladder cancer

• Bile duct cancer

• Symptomatic benign lesions such as liver cysts, blood vessel deformities, and adenomas (benign growths that can rupture or bleed)

At the Saint Agnes Cancer Institute we take a multidisciplinary team approach to help you understand your diagnosis and treatment options. Our expert team includes:

• Liver Surgeons

• Medical and Radiation Oncologists

• Hepatologists

• General and Interventional Gastroenterologists

• Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologists

• Pathologists

• Genetic Counselors

What are the risk factors for liver cancer?

• Gender. Men are more likely than women to develop liver cancer.

• Heredity. Those with a family history of liver cancer may have an increased risk.

• Heavy alcohol use

• Liver diseases such as cirrhosis or Hepatitis B and C.

What are the warning signs of liver cancer?

• The most common indicators include weight loss, nausea and pain, swelling or tenderness in the liver. Consult your doctor immediately if any of these symptoms occur.

How is liver cancer detected?

Liver cancer is detected using blood tests or imaging exams like a CT scan, MRI scan or ultrasound. For more information on cancer screening, see our diagnostic methods section.


How are liver cancers treated?

Saint Agnes offers a full range multi-disciplinary treatment methods and procedures:

• Surgery is the most common method of treatment. Your surgeon may recommend removal the tumor-bearing liver or evaluation for liver transplant may be necessary. Many liver operations can be done in a minimally invasive fashion, including laparoscopy.

• Chemotherapy is often used for colon cancer that has spread to the liver, but less commonly for other types of liver cancer.
• Radiation treatment is sometimes used to shrink the tumor before it can be removed with surgery.
• Ablation is used to destroy (with high temperature or other means) liver tumors instead of removing them. This is sometimes done alone and sometimes together with surgery for multiple tumors.
• Transarterial therapies often play an important role in the treatment of liver tumors and may be used alone or with surgery or ablation.
• Portal vein embolization is sometimes used as a bridge to surgery.

Talk to your doctor about all of your treatment options. Together, you can determine the best plan for you. For more information on treatment, see our treatment methods section.
 

Need More Information?

For more information on treatment options or any information regarding Caner Institute at Saint Agnes Hospital please contact us at 410-368-2910.

Resources
For more information please visit the following:

• The American Cancer Society
• The National Cancer Institute

To find a physician please click here or call 1-866-690-9355.

Recent Liver Publications by Saint Agnes Physicians:

Articles:
1. Cunningham SC, Alexander HR. Porcelain gallbladder and cancer: ethnicity explains a discrepant literature? Am J Med 2007;120:e17-8.

2. DeOliveira ML*, Cunningham SC*, Kamangar F, Lillemoe KD, Choti MA, Cameron JL, Yeo CJ, Schulick RD. Cholangiocarcinoma: 31-Year experience with 564 patients at a single institution. Ann Surg 2007;245:755-62. * FIRST AUTHOR SHARED

3. Cunningham SC, Choti MA, Bellavance EC, and Pawlik TM. Palliation of hepatic tumors. Surg Oncol 2007;16(4):277-91.

4. Bellavance EC, Lumpkins KM, Mentha G, Marques HP, Capussotti L, Pulitano C, Majno P, Mira P, Rubbia-Brandt L, Ferrero A, Aldrighetti L, Cunningham SC, Russolillo N, Philosophe B, Barroso E, Pawlik TM. Surgical management of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: resection or transplantation? J Gastrointest Surg 2008;12:1699-708.

5. Cunningham SC, Pawlik TM. Two-stage hepatectomy for metastatic colorectal cancer to the liver. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 2008;4:93–99.

6. Deneve JL, Pawlik TM, Cunningham S, Clary B, Reddy S, Scoggins CR, Martin RC, D'Angelica M, Staley CA, Choti MA, Jarnagin WR, Schulick RD, Kooby DA. Liver cell adenoma: a multicenter analysis of risk factors for rupture and malignancy. Ann Surg Oncol 2009;16:640-8.

7. Cunningham SC, Tsai S, Marques HP, Mira P, Barroso E, Cameron A, Philosophe B, Pawlik TM. Management of early hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with well-compensated cirrhosis. Ann Surg Oncol 2009;16:1820-31.

8. De Jong M, Farnell MB, Cunningham SC, Lum, YW, Winter JM, Cameron JL, Wolfgang C, Geschwind J, Georgiades C, Edil B, Herman J, Abrams R, Choti MA, Nagorney DM, Schulick, RD, Pawlik TM. Liver-directed therapy for hepatic metastasis in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy: a multi-center analysis. Ann Surg 2010;252:142-8.

9. Shah PA, Cunningham SC, Daly BD. Widening spectrum of causes for hepatic gas on imaging in the interventional era. RadioGraphics 2010 (In Press).

10. Kahn J, Pawlik TM, and Cunningham SC. Hepatectomies: No small issue: Minimally invasive but more than minimally biased toward minor resections? J Am Coll Surg 2010 Jan;212(1):134-5.

11. Cunningham SC. Book Review:Precancer. Cancer Biol Ther 2010;9(11).

Book chapters:

1. Cunningham SC, Schulick RD. Bile Duct Cancer. In: Cameron JL, ed. Current Surgical Therapy 9th ed. 2008, New York, Mosby.

2. Cunningham SC, Moesinger RC. Liver Hemangioma. In: Cameron JL, ed. Current Surgical Therapy 9th ed. 2008, New York, Mosby.

3. Cunningham SC, Schulick RD. Extrahepatic Biliary Cancer. In: Geschwind JF and Soulen MC, eds. Interventional Oncology: Principles and Practice, 1st ed. 2008, New York, Cambridge University Press.

4. Cunningham SC, Pawlik TM. Hepatic Colorectal Metastases; Hepatic Neoplastic Cysts; Hepatic Hyatid Cysts; Hepatic Simple Cysts. In Schulick RD, ed. Pocket General Surgery. (In Press).

5. Cunningham SC, Schulick RD. Malignant Liver Tumors. In: Cameron JL, ed. Current Surgical Therapy 10th ed. 2010, New York, Mosby. (In Press)

6. Demirjian NA, Cunningham SC, Palwik TM. Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma. In: Hepatobiliary Cancer, ed. Fong Y, Poon R, Tang ZY, Dupuy D, and Berlin JD. (In Press)