What Is Liver Cancer?
The liver is a large and complex organ located in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity. Often times it is not easy to feel despite its being the largest organ in the abdomen, and the largest gland in the body. If you place your hand over the lowest ribs on your right side you should be directly over the liver. It lies just below the right lung, with only the diaphragm (main muscle for breathing) separating the two.
The strategic location of the liver and its unique structure allows it to play a key role in a wide variety of the body's functions. These functions range from storage and breakdown of energy, synthesis of important substances, regulation of digestion, to elimination of wastes, drugs, and toxins.
The liver also plays a role in maintaining the body's blood volume and defending against infection from the gastrointestinal tract (gut). Given the large number of processes regulated by the liver and the complexity of these processes, abnormal function of the liver invariably leads to serious disease states.
Broadly, there are 2 types of liver cancer: those which start in the liver (primary liver cancer) and those which started elsewhere in the body and have spread to the liver (metastatic liver cancer).
Most people with liver cancer have cancers that began somewhere else (for example, the colon or the breast) and have spread to the liver. Such cancers are called metastatic.
How do metastatic cancers get to the liver? They get there by the blood stream. Cancer cells enter the bloodstream at the site of the original (primary) tumor, circulate through the body, and lodge themselves in other organs, such as the liver, where they start to grow. If you have metastatic tumors in the liver, it is very possible that there are tumor cells elsewhere in your body - even if all tests fail to show tumor anywhere else. Cancer grows faster in the liver than in other places, because the liver has a rich blood supply and contains plenty of the nutrients cancer cells need.
