Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The No 1 Liver Problem Is Now Obesity (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
Ask most people what the number one liver problem is, and they'll probably say "cirrhosis."

Until recently, they would have been right.

Health officials and experts in the U.S. and Canada now agree that obesity caused by poor nutrition and lack of exercise has become a bigger threat to liver health than cirrhosis, which is generally caused by excessive drinking.

Obesity is a major contributing factor to fatty liver disease, which is a buildup of fat cells in the liver.

The liver usually metabolizes fat from the food we eat. But when we overeat, eat food that's bad for us, or don't exercise enough, large droplets of fat start to accumulate in the liver.

As these fat droplets build up, the liver starts to produce more enzymes, which can inflame liver tissue. The inflammation can cause scarring and cirrhosis, in which the liver becomes hardened and liver function is reduced.

Figures indicate that 10-20 percent of the American population has fatty liver disease, which is also known as fatty liver syndrome.

Fatty liver disease is now the fastest growing and most common form of liver ailment in Canada, according to Gary Fagan, president of the Canadian Liver Foundation.

There are few symptoms of fatty liver disease in the early stages. So most people who have it don't even realize it unless they have liver function tests. The liver is remarkable because it keeps functioning and doesn't always tell someone they're in trouble.

Therefore it may be important for doctors to suggest liver function tests for those who don't exercise much, have poor eating habits, or drink excessively.

For more information, click on Health Information Articles George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host.

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Liver Cancer Prognosis

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Liver Cancers in Children (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
The liver is a large, very important organ situated in the right upper quadrant of abdomen. The normal functions of the liver in the body are:

To help store nutrients from food

To break down and remove harmful chemicals from the body

To build chemicals that the body needs to stay healthy

Hepatoblastoma:The most common type of liver cancer in children is Hepatoblastoma. it occurs most frequently in infants or very young children between 2 months and 2 year.

Symptoms:

- Lump in the abdomen (most common)

- Reduced appetite

- lethargy

- nausia / vomiting

- Pain in abdomen

- Jaundice

Investigations:

The following minima investigations are proposed to diagnose hepatoblastoma

- Tumor markers- serum AFP

- CT scan of abdomen with Ct guided FNAC or Biopsy

- X-ray chest

- Complete blood count

- Biochem profile

Treatment:

Surgery & chemotherapy are two tratment options

Surgery: Liver resection according to the location & extent of the tumor. It will be either

- Rt hepatectomy

- Lt hepatectomy

- Extended Rt or Lt hepatectomy

- Bi or trisegmentectomy

If liver resection is not possible because of multicentric disease then liver transplant is the only treatment of option.

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy is given before or after surgery. Surgery is done either as a sandwitch surgery (in between cycles of chemotherapy) or it is done at the start & then chemotherapy is given.

The drugs used are

- Cisplatin

- Doxorubicin

- Vincristine

- 5-Fluorouracil

Other less common malignant liver tumor in children:
Hepatocellular carcinoma.

The author is Pediatric Surgeon and operate plenty of child surgeries every month. Please visit Surgeon's blog on Child Cancer http://cancer-surgery.blogspot.com/. This article can be republished along with the information given above only.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Manju_S.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Liver Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma and hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer arising from the liver. The liver performs several vital functions. It processes and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine. It also makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury. Hemangioma (he-man-ge-O-muh) is the most common type of benign liver tumor. It starts in blood vessels and Hepatic adenomas are benign tumors that start from the main type of liver cells (hepatocytes). Women have a much higher chance of having one of these tumors if they take birth control pills, although this is rare. Stopping the pills can cause the tumor to shrink. Hepatic adenomascancer begins in many spots throughout the liver and is not confined to a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with liver cirrhosis and is the most common pattern seen in the United States.

Hepatic tumors also called Liver cancer. Hepatic tumors is are tumors or growths on or in the liver. There are many forms of liver tumors premary is Malignant. Malignant, primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (also named hepatoma, which is a misnomer). These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself). Most of the time when cancer is found in the liver, it did not start there but spread to the liver from a cancer that began somewhere else in the body. These tumors are named after the place where they began (primary site) and are further described as metastatic. Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms and the cancer may not be found until it is advanced.

Some researchers believe that cancer starts with damage to DNA the material that contains the instructions for every chemical process in your body, including the rate of cellular growth. DNA damage causes changes in these instructions. Liver cancer also occurs as metastatic cancer, which happens when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver. In the liver cancer some cells begin to grow abnormally. One result is that cells may begin to grow out of control and eventually form a tumor a mass of malignant cells. In the United States, most cancer found in the liver spread there after originating elsewhere. Rather than being called liver cancer, this type of cancer in the liver is named after the organ in which it began such as metastatic colon cancer in cancer that starts in the colon and spreads to the liver.

Causes of liver Cancer

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the main causes of liver cancer. Liver cancer relates to (correlates with) the frequency of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Studies in animals also have provided that hepatitis B virus can cause liver cancer. For example, liver cancer develops in other mammals that are naturally infected with hepatitis B virus-related viruses. Finally, by infecting transgenic mice with certain parts of the hepatitis B virus, scientists caused liver cancer to develop in mice that do not usually develop liver cancer.

Symptoms of liver cancer
Liver cancer is very common larges countries in world wide. Generally is discovered at a very advanced stage of cancer disease for several reasons. In addition, patients from these regions actually have more aggressive liver cancer disease. live cancer tumor usually reaches an advanced stage and causes symptoms more rapidly. Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of liver cancer and usually signifies a very large tumor or widespread involvement of the liver and other symptom is weight loss. These symptoms are less common in individuals with liver cancer in the U.S.an additionally symptoms is ascites (abdominal fluid and swelling), jaundice (yellow color of the skin), or muscle wasting.

Treatment of liver cancer

The treatment of liver cancer is overall condition of the patient. First treatment if liver cancer is Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is anot effective not some cases of liver cancer but type of chemotherapy is known as chemoembolization is an important part of treatment for HCC. chemoembolization causes many of the same side effects as other forms of chemotherapy, including abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Second treatment is surgery. Surgery is best treatment for localized resectable cancer is usually an operation known as surgical resection. In some cases, the area of the liver where the cancer is found can be completely removed. Alcohol injection has been shown to improve survival in people with small hepatocellular tumors. It may also be used to help reduce symptoms in cases of metastatic liver cancer. The most common side effect is leaking of alcohol onto the liver or into the abdominal cavity.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for health doctor. She also writes articles for depression treatment and cancer treatment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Cohen
Liver Cancer Prognosis

Liver Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma and hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer arising from the liver. The liver performs several vital functions. It processes and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine. It also makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury. Hemangioma (he-man-ge-O-muh) is the most common type of benign liver tumor. It starts in blood vessels and Hepatic adenomas are benign tumors that start from the main type of liver cells (hepatocytes). Women have a much higher chance of having one of these tumors if they take birth control pills, although this is rare. Stopping the pills can cause the tumor to shrink. Hepatic adenomascancer begins in many spots throughout the liver and is not confined to a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with liver cirrhosis and is the most common pattern seen in the United States.

Hepatic tumors also called Liver cancer. Hepatic tumors is are tumors or growths on or in the liver. There are many forms of liver tumors premary is Malignant. Malignant, primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (also named hepatoma, which is a misnomer). These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself). Most of the time when cancer is found in the liver, it did not start there but spread to the liver from a cancer that began somewhere else in the body. These tumors are named after the place where they began (primary site) and are further described as metastatic. Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms and the cancer may not be found until it is advanced.

Some researchers believe that cancer starts with damage to DNA the material that contains the instructions for every chemical process in your body, including the rate of cellular growth. DNA damage causes changes in these instructions. Liver cancer also occurs as metastatic cancer, which happens when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver. In the liver cancer some cells begin to grow abnormally. One result is that cells may begin to grow out of control and eventually form a tumor a mass of malignant cells. In the United States, most cancer found in the liver spread there after originating elsewhere. Rather than being called liver cancer, this type of cancer in the liver is named after the organ in which it began such as metastatic colon cancer in cancer that starts in the colon and spreads to the liver.

Causes of liver Cancer

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the main causes of liver cancer. Liver cancer relates to (correlates with) the frequency of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Studies in animals also have provided that hepatitis B virus can cause liver cancer. For example, liver cancer develops in other mammals that are naturally infected with hepatitis B virus-related viruses. Finally, by infecting transgenic mice with certain parts of the hepatitis B virus, scientists caused liver cancer to develop in mice that do not usually develop liver cancer.

Symptoms of liver cancer
Liver cancer is very common larges countries in world wide. Generally is discovered at a very advanced stage of cancer disease for several reasons. In addition, patients from these regions actually have more aggressive liver cancer disease. live cancer tumor usually reaches an advanced stage and causes symptoms more rapidly. Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of liver cancer and usually signifies a very large tumor or widespread involvement of the liver and other symptom is weight loss. These symptoms are less common in individuals with liver cancer in the U.S.an additionally symptoms is ascites (abdominal fluid and swelling), jaundice (yellow color of the skin), or muscle wasting.

Treatment of liver cancer

The treatment of liver cancer is overall condition of the patient. First treatment if liver cancer is Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is anot effective not some cases of liver cancer but type of chemotherapy is known as chemoembolization is an important part of treatment for HCC. chemoembolization causes many of the same side effects as other forms of chemotherapy, including abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Second treatment is surgery. Surgery is best treatment for localized resectable cancer is usually an operation known as surgical resection. In some cases, the area of the liver where the cancer is found can be completely removed. Alcohol injection has been shown to improve survival in people with small hepatocellular tumors. It may also be used to help reduce symptoms in cases of metastatic liver cancer. The most common side effect is leaking of alcohol onto the liver or into the abdominal cavity.

Juliet Cohen writes articles for health doctor. She also writes articles for depression treatment and cancer treatment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Cohen
Liver Cancer Prognosis

Monday, July 14, 2008

Liver Disease (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
The liver processes nutrients from the digestive system. It also removes toxins from the body, and produces a greenish-brown fluid known as bile that is required for digestion. There are a wide number of diseases that affect the liver. They range from chronic illnesses such as hepatitis and cirrhosis to acute conditions such as cancer or bile duct obstruction. Millions of Americans have both chronic and acute liver disease. Liver cancer, portal hypertension and bile duct obstruction are three of the most common liver diseases.

The liver is the largest organ in the body and proper function is essential for life. You cannot live without your liver, as it converts food into stored energy and produces chemicals that are vital to life.

The liver processes carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals that are used to maintain normal body functions. Carbohydrates are stored to maintain energy throughout the day. Proteins are released to the muscles as energy or are stored for later use. Some are converted and excreted through urine. Some proteins are transformed into ammonia that is broken down by the liver and excreted through the kidneys. Bile is produced in the liver and that helps break down fat that is stored in the gallbladder and released into the small intestine. Bile absorbs essential vitamins and after digestion and are returned to the liver and recycled.

There are many types of liver disease and most causes are not known. However, poor nutrition has been attributed to a leading cause of liver disease. It is well known that good nutrition can in fact help the damaged liver to regenerate new liver cells.

Liver Disease provides detailed information on Liver Disease, Liver Disease Symptoms, Fatty Liver Disease, Alcoholic Liver Disease and more. Liver Disease is affiliated with Kidney Stones In Women.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Stith
Liver Cancer Prognosis

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Liver Cancer Prevention (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
Surprisingly enough, many liver cancers can be prevented. There isn't a liver cancer vaccine yet, but there IS a hepatitis B vaccine that was approved for use in the United States in the early 1980s. The hepatitis B vaccine protects both children and adults from the hepatitis B virus. Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus is one of the leading causes of liver cancer worldwide.

It is recommended that all children be given the hepatitis B vaccine and that all adults who are at risk, like health care workers and those who engage in risky behavior, get the vaccine as well.

The other leading cause of liver cancer is chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus. So far, there is not a vaccine to protect against hepatitis C infection. The best prevention against hepatitis C as well as hepatitis B (for those who have not been vaccinated) is understanding how the viruses are spread and how to avoid contamination.

Both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are spread through shared use of a contaminated needle (drug use), through unprotected sex, and through childbirth. There was a time when a blood transfusion carried a major risk of contracting hepatitis B or hepatitis C, but better screening has reduced that risk to only one per two million transfusions today.

If you are at high risk for contracting hepatitis B or hepatitis C, you should be tested for these infections often. There are drugs that your doctor can give you to treat these infections. There are no drugs that cure these infections, however, and it is unclear whether treatment actually lessens the chances of cancer developing.

Alcohol abuse is the number one cause of cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer. This cancer prevention technique is quite simple - don't abuse alcohol and if you are abusing alcohol, stop.

Milos Pesic is a respected surgeon who specializes in treating all forms of cancer and runs a comprehensive Cancer Treatment web site. For more articles and resources on cancer symptoms and treatments, breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate and colon cancer and much more, visit his site at:

=> http://cancer.need-to-know.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic

Liver Cancer Prognosis

Thursday, July 3, 2008

What are Liver Cancer Symptoms? (liver cancer prognosis)

Liver Cancer Prognosis
The liver is located just below the right lung and diaphragm. It is divided into right and left lobes. The liver receives blood from the heptic artery and the portal vein. The hepatic artery supplies the oxygen-rich blood, while the portal vein nutrient-rich blood from the intestines.

The liver secretes bile into the intestine to help absorb nutrients. The liver also helps in removing toxic wastes from our body.

Several types of tumors, cancerous and not cancerous can form in the liver. The liver cancer is seen in some parts of Asia and Africa and is rare in the USA. It occurs more frequently in males than females.

There are no early warning signs or symptoms of liver cancer. Some of the common symptoms of liver cancer are

Pain in the right upper abdominal area, abdominal fullness or bloating.
Weight Loss. Breast swelling in males. Loss of appetite. Intestinal bleeding and Blood clotting problems, bruises on the skin. Weakness.

It should be noted that these symptoms may be due to other causes.

Copyright 2005, P. Mehta

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Liver Cancer Prognosis