Monday, January 19, 2026 – Closed
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Monday, January 19, 2026 – Closed
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The liver is a large organ positioned behind the lower ribs on the right side of the body. When cancer begins in this organ, it is called liver cancer. The most common type of this cancer occurs in the hepatocytes, the most abundant types of cells in the liver, and is known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 33,000 people in the United States get liver cancer each year, with rates rising over the last several decades.
HCC occurs three times more often in men than women. This type of cancer is much more common in Southeast Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 700,000 deaths each year are attributed to liver cancer, making it the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The ACS estimates that 31,780 people in the U.S. will die of the disease in 2019.
This vital organ breaks down and stores nutrients necessary for the body to function. The liver metabolizes some of these nutrients before the body can use them. It helps remove poisons and toxins from the body. Bile, the solution that assists with eliminating waste and digesting fats, is produced in the liver. Additionally, the liver makes many of the clotting factors necessary to stop blood flow when the body is injured.
Cancer that has spread from another part of the body to the liver is not called liver cancer. It’s metastatic cancer to the liver.
There are several types of cancer that can form in this organ.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
This is the most common type of cancer of the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma develops in the hepatocytes, which represent the bulk of the tissue mass.
A rare subset of this type of liver cancer is fibrolamellar, which occurs in less than 1% of hepatocellular carcinomas. Fibrolamellar is most commonly seen in women under the age of 35 and tends to have a better outlook than other forms of this disease.
Bile duct cancer (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma)
This begins in the bile ducts, which transport bile to the gallbladder. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas make up 10%-20% of liver cancers.
When bile duct cancer begins in the liver it is known as intrahepatic. If it begins outside of the liver it is called extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is a rare type of pediatric cancer that typically develops in children under 4. Two out of three children diagnosed with hepatoblastoma are successfully treated.
Angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma
These are very rare forms of the disease that begin in the blood vessels within the lining of the organ.
Symptoms occur when the normal function of the liver is impaired, or the size alone causes discomfort. In the early stages of this disease, there are often no symptoms or signs.
Symptoms include:
Typically, liver cancer is diagnosed through blood and imaging tests. Sometimes a liver biopsy may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
Chronic liver irritation or inflammation is the typical background of HCC. These include chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis or exposure to a known liver toxin such as aflatoxins (more details below). However, with some cases of this disease the cause is not known.
Some factors can increase the risk of liver cancer. Those include the following.
There is no guaranteed way to prevent cancer, but there are ways to reduce the risk of developing it.
Healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise can help stave off obesity, which increases the chances of the disease. This can also help individuals manage diabetes and reduce the risk of cirrhosis.
Limit tobacco and alcohol
Not drinking, or drinking in moderation, can help prevent cirrhosis, and in turn, liver cancer. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, drinking in moderation for women means up to one drink per day and up to two drinks per day for men.
Not smoking or quitting smoking can help lower the risk of liver cancer, and many other cancers.
Hepatitis B vaccination
By receiving the hepatitis B vaccine, an individual can reduce the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV), thereby reducing the chances of developing this disease. The CDC recommends that everyone, children and adults, who may be at risk receive the HBV vaccine.
Avoid or treat HCV
There is no hepatitis C virus vaccination, but there are steps one can take to prevent this infection.
These steps can also be beneficial to prevent HBV.
If found early, treatments to limit the disease may be possible. cCARE offers advanced treatments for liver cancers of all types, including:
This type of treatment destroys tumors on the liver without removing them. Ablation works best for patients with a few smaller tumors and for whom surgery is not a viable option due to reduced liver function.
Types of ablation treatments include:
Chemo delivers chemicals throughout the whole body that locate and attack the cancerous cells in the liver. It is a common form of cancer treatment and can be administered by mouth or intravenous. Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with radiation.
Embolization blocks or reduces the blood flow to a tumor while not affecting healthy liver cells. This treatment blocks the hepatic artery, which is the main blood supply for cancer in the liver. Embolization is best for larger tumors and patients with adequate liver function.
Immunotherapy aims to boost and support the individual’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells through medication. This treatment can be topical, oral, intravenous or via catheter.
Radiation therapy can be external or internal, based on the stage of the cancer. It utilizes high doses of radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells.
Removing the cancerous cells through surgery or undergoing a liver transplant are the best options to cure this disease. Removing part of the liver, a partial hepatectomy, is an option for an individual with a single tumor and good liver function.
A form of chemotherapy, targeted therapy marks cells with certain traits, such as a protein or abnormal chromosome, and destroys cells with that trait.
Other treatments, according to the National Institutes of Health, include laser therapy and electrocoagulation. Additionally, there may be ongoing clinical trials to treat cancer of the liver.
The liver is a large organ positioned behind the lower ribs on the right side of the body. When cancer begins in this organ, it is called liver cancer. The most common type of this cancer occurs in the hepatocytes, the most abundant types of cells in the liver, and is known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 33,000 people in the United States get liver cancer each year, with rates rising over the last several decades.
HCC occurs three times more often in men than women. This type of cancer is much more common in Southeast Asian and sub-Saharan African countries. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 700,000 deaths each year are attributed to liver cancer, making it the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The ACS estimates that 31,780 people in the U.S. will die of the disease in 2019.
This vital organ breaks down and stores nutrients necessary for the body to function. The liver metabolizes some of these nutrients before the body can use them. It helps remove poisons and toxins from the body. Bile, the solution that assists with eliminating waste and digesting fats, is produced in the liver. Additionally, the liver makes many of the clotting factors necessary to stop blood flow when the body is injured.
Cancer that has spread from another part of the body to the liver is not called liver cancer. It’s metastatic cancer to the liver.
There are several types of cancer that can form in this organ.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
This is the most common type of cancer of the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma develops in the hepatocytes, which represent the bulk of the tissue mass.
A rare subset of this type of liver cancer is fibrolamellar, which occurs in less than 1% of hepatocellular carcinomas. Fibrolamellar is most commonly seen in women under the age of 35 and tends to have a better outlook than other forms of this disease.
Bile duct cancer (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma)
This begins in the bile ducts, which transport bile to the gallbladder. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas make up 10%-20% of liver cancers.
When bile duct cancer begins in the liver it is known as intrahepatic. If it begins outside of the liver it is called extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is a rare type of pediatric cancer that typically develops in children under 4. Two out of three children diagnosed with hepatoblastoma are successfully treated.
Angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma
These are very rare forms of the disease that begin in the blood vessels within the lining of the organ.
Symptoms occur when the normal function of the liver is impaired, or the size alone causes discomfort. In the early stages of this disease, there are often no symptoms or signs.
Symptoms include:
Typically, liver cancer is diagnosed through blood and imaging tests. Sometimes a liver biopsy may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
Chronic liver irritation or inflammation is the typical background of HCC. These include chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis or exposure to a known liver toxin such as aflatoxins (more details below). However, with some cases of this disease the cause is not known.
Some factors can increase the risk of liver cancer. Those include the following.
There is no guaranteed way to prevent cancer, but there are ways to reduce the risk of developing it.
Healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise can help stave off obesity, which increases the chances of the disease. This can also help individuals manage diabetes and reduce the risk of cirrhosis.
Limit tobacco and alcohol
Not drinking, or drinking in moderation, can help prevent cirrhosis, and in turn, liver cancer. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, drinking in moderation for women means up to one drink per day and up to two drinks per day for men.
Not smoking or quitting smoking can help lower the risk of liver cancer, and many other cancers.
Hepatitis B vaccination
By receiving the hepatitis B vaccine, an individual can reduce the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV), thereby reducing the chances of developing this disease. The CDC recommends that everyone, children and adults, who may be at risk receive the HBV vaccine.
Avoid or treat HCV
There is no hepatitis C virus vaccination, but there are steps one can take to prevent this infection.
These steps can also be beneficial to prevent HBV.
If found early, treatments to limit the disease may be possible. cCARE offers advanced treatments for liver cancers of all types, including:
This type of treatment destroys tumors on the liver without removing them. Ablation works best for patients with a few smaller tumors and for whom surgery is not a viable option due to reduced liver function.
Types of ablation treatments include:
Chemo delivers chemicals throughout the whole body that locate and attack the cancerous cells in the liver. It is a common form of cancer treatment and can be administered by mouth or intravenous. Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with radiation.
Embolization blocks or reduces the blood flow to a tumor while not affecting healthy liver cells. This treatment blocks the hepatic artery, which is the main blood supply for cancer in the liver. Embolization is best for larger tumors and patients with adequate liver function.
Immunotherapy aims to boost and support the individual’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells through medication. This treatment can be topical, oral, intravenous or via catheter.
Radiation therapy can be external or internal, based on the stage of the cancer. It utilizes high doses of radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancerous cells.
Removing the cancerous cells through surgery or undergoing a liver transplant are the best options to cure this disease. Removing part of the liver, a partial hepatectomy, is an option for an individual with a single tumor and good liver function.
A form of chemotherapy, targeted therapy marks cells with certain traits, such as a protein or abnormal chromosome, and destroys cells with that trait.
Other treatments, according to the National Institutes of Health, include laser therapy and electrocoagulation. Additionally, there may be ongoing clinical trials to treat cancer of the liver.