Hepatocellular carcinoma overview
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Hepatocellular carcinoma Microchapters |
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Differentiating Hepatocellular carcinoma from other Diseases |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Hepatocellular carcinoma overview On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Hepatocellular carcinoma overview |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Hepatocellular carcinoma overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mohamad Alkateb, MBBCh [2]
Overview
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, also called hepatoma) is a primary malignancy (cancer) of the liver. The majority of hepaticellular carcinoma cases are due to either a viral hepatitide infection (hepatitis B or C) or cirrhosis (alcoholism being the most common cause of hepatic cirrhosis).[1] In countries where hepatitis is not endemic, most malignant cancers in the liver are not primary hepatocellular carcinoma and the majority of cases aremetastasis from other part of the body, e.g. the colon. Treatment options of hepatocellular carcinoma and prognosis are dependent on many factors, especially on tumor size and staging.
In non western countries, the usual outcome is poor, because only 10 - 20% of hepatocellular carcinomas can be removed completely using surgery. If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually deadly within 3 to 6 months [3]. This is partially due to late presentation with large tumours, but also due to the lack of medical expertise and facilities. This is a rare tumor in the United States.
References
- ↑ Kumar V, Fausto N, Abbas A (editors) (2003). Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (7th ed.). Saunders. pp. pp. 914&ndash, 7. ISBN 978-0-721-60187-8.