The main function of the liver in the digestive system is to to process nutrients absorbed from the small intestine. The liver also removes toxins and other chemical waste products from the blood and gets the toxins ready to exit the body. Most liver cancer is secondary, so usually cancer cells travel through the bloodstream and lands in the liver.
Causes:
The liver is made up of many different cells so many types of tumors can form in the liver. There are some tumors that form in the liver that are noncancerous but some are and can spread to other parts of the body. Primary liver cancer, also known as Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is the 5th most common cancer in the world. HCC tends to occur in lives damaged by birth defects, alcohol abuse, Hepatitis B or C, or cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a disease that slowly progresses and is where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. The scar tissue that is in the liver blocks the flow of blood through this organ and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins. Colon, pancreatic, lung and breast cancer are commonly know to spread to the liver. Sincer liver filters blood from everywhere in the body, cancer cells from somewhere in the body can start to grow in the liver.
Symptoms:…show more content… These are the most common: jaundice(skin turns yellow and whites of the eye), fever, tiredness, nausea, abdominal pain, weight loss, a hard lump around the ribcage, pain in the back, abdomen, or around the right shoulder blade. If anybody experiences any of these symptoms, they should go to the doctor and make sure everything is alright.
