Liver Cancer

 

Also known as hepatic cancer or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), a primary form of liver cancer where the liver cells called hepatocytes mutate and grow out of control.

Each year in the United States, about 33,000 people get diagnosed with liver cancer and about 27,000 of them die (~82% mortality rate), and accounts for the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The percentage of Americans who get liver cancer has been rising for several decades, primarily attributed to the uptrend of excessive drinking of alcohol, obesity and Hepatitis infections.

There are many known causes when there is evidence of the liver being damaged (scarred, known as fibrosis) from a birth defect or disease, but this cancer can also develop in people with no underlying diseases or defects.

That is what makes this such an insidious disease and therefore it is unclear as to the exact cause. Researchers have identified hereditary, lifestyle, and environmental factors that may increase your risk of developing cancer of the liver. Below are some of the most common contributing risk factors.