Types Of Liver Tumors
The liver is a common target for illnesses and diseases and there are a number of types of liver tumors too. There are some that are malignant and there are some that are benign. No matter what they may be, it is best that you get to understand the many types of liver tumors right away so as to be able to make sure that you can prevent having them or detect if you have them right away.
The Hepatocellular Carcinoma are among the malignant types of liver tumors. This is also known as the liver cirrhosis. The most common causes of these types of liver tumors are alcoholism together with hepatitis C. However, there are many other known causes of these types of liver tumors at present which include obesity, abuse of anabolic steroids, and even chemical exposure. Much like other kinds of cancers, the hepatocellular carcinoma will not show itself until it is already at its later stages. There are many different symptoms that will show in people who have this. These symptoms include nausea, weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice, and having the feeling of being full even when you have not eaten a lot yet. There are two known ways to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, liver resection wherein the tumor is removed surgically and radiofrequency ablation which uses microwaves to kill the tumor. Of course, there are also chemotherapy and radiation therapy options available for this.
The Cholangiocarcinomas are also malignant types of liver tumors. This is basically cancer of the bile duct. Compared to all the other types of liver tumors, this is known to be the most lethal and fastest moving. It is, however, quite rare. Here, the cancer tumor grows from the liver bile ducts. The main treatment that is done to patients who are diagnosed with these types of liver tumors is liver resection too. Sometimes, patients who are able to get donors go through a liver transplantation.
There are also metastatic types of liver tumors. These are liver tumors that are known to start somewhere else in the body. Oftentimes metastatic liver cancer cells start victimizing other organs such as the pancreas, stomach, breasts, lungs, and even the large intestine. Unlike other cancers, metastatic liver tumors can show themselves at an early stage. They show symptoms that include appetite and weight loss together with fever. But if it progresses into the latter stages, jaundice and ascites will be prominent as well.
Pediatric Hepatoblastoma are types of liver tumors that present themselves in children. Most of the time, children under 3 years old are the ones affected with this. The worst thing about this is that the cause is still unknown. They present themselves at late stages as well and they can sometimes even metastasize or spread elsewhere in the body. There are many treatment options though, for children who are diagnosed with this. Of course surgical tumor removal is an option together with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. For the worst cases, there are some who prefer to have liver transplants to make sure that they do not come back.
