There are two types of liver cancers. One is primary liver cancer, where the cancer arises from the liver itself, and the other is secondary or metastatic cancer, which reaches the liver from a primary tumour located at another site. Primary liver cancer can arise from the liver cells themselves ( hepatocellular carcinoma) or from the biliary tract, i.e. gall bladder. Secondary liver cancer is much more common than primary liver cancer.
Causes
Infection with the Hepatitits B virus ( HBV) is one of the important causes of liver cancer. About 10-20 per cent of people infected with HBV develop liver cancer. The longer one has been infected with the virus, the greater the likelihood of developing liver cancer. People with certain other liver diseases like cirrhosis have a higher-than-average chance of developing primary liver cancer. Aflotoxins are produced by a mold that contaminates certain foods - such as peanuts, grains, and seeds. Prolonged ingestion of these chemicals can also lead to liver cancer. Secondary ( metastatic) cancer reaches the liver by spreading through the blood stream from a primary tumour at another site . In about 50 per cent of patients with metastatic liver cancer, the primary tumour is in the bowel ( colon, rectum), stomach, breasts or lungs.
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