liver cancer

Liver cancer is a collective term for malignant tumors that originate in the liver, with the most common form being hepatocellular carcinoma, which arises from liver cells themselves. The disease often develops after prolonged liver damage, for example from chronic hepatitis B or C infection, excessive alcohol consumption, or fatty liver disease. Cancer can also spread from another organ to the liver, which is different from liver cancer that originates in the liver itself. The diagnosis is usually made with imaging tests such as ultrasound or a scan, possibly supplemented with blood tests or a biopsy. The word appears on this site because liver cancer is incurable in a large proportion of cases at the time of diagnosis.