This report will discuss how liver cancer affects the liver. I will discuss the how liver cancer affects the normal operation of the liver, what causes liver cancer, how this cancer can be detected and how this cancer can be treated. I will conclude with a discussion of how common liver cancer is.
The liver is a vital organ which has multiple functions to keep the body operating normally. The liver stores vitamins, sugar and iron to help give the human body energy. It controls the production and removal of cholesterol and clears the blood of waste products, drugs and other toxins. Furthermore, the liver makes clotting factors to prevent excessive bleeding after cuts or injuries. The liver produces immune factors and clears away bacteria from the bloodstream to fight infection. It also releases a substance referred to as "bile" in order to help digest food and absorb essential nutrients for the body. The liver is located just below the diaphragm, in the upper right portion of the abdomen, generally under the ribs. Though, it also spreads across the middle and left area of the upper abdomen.
A tumour is a lump/growth of tissue made up by cancer cells which continue to reproduce. Since the liver is made up of several different kinds of cells, numerous types of tumors can form in the organ. If not treated, these tumours may grow, attack and damage nearby tissues, and continue to spread to other organs. As the tumors grow, they could cause pain and bleeding inside the liver. The liver’s functions may also become impaired and eventually the liver could fail.
Although the sources of liver cancer are still unknown, there are some known risk factors. Viral infections of the liver, such as chronic Hepatitis B or C, may cause liver ca...
... middle of paper ...
...tation. This cancer is one of the most rapid growing cancers in Canada. It is mostly common in men and is usually diagnosed after the age of 45.
Works Cited
http://www.onhealth.com/liver/page2.htm#where_is_the_liver_located_liver_anatomy http://www.liver.ca/liver-health/how-liver-works.aspx http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003114-pdf.pdf http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/index http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=276&channel_id=12&relation_id=1619 http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/type/liver-cancer/treatment/statistics-and-outlook-for-liver-cancer http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/overviewguide/liver-cancer-overview-treating-chemotherapy
http://www.cancer.ca/~/media/cancer.ca/CW/cancer%20information/cancer%20101/Canadian%20cancer%20statistics/canadian-cancer-statistics-2013-EN.pdf
The gallbladder according to Dorland’s Medical Dictionary is ‘the pear shaped reservoir for the bile on the posteroinferior surface of the liver, between the right and the left quadrate lobe, from its neck the cystic duct projects to join the common bile duct’. The function of the gallbladder in the human body is to solve and concentrate bile, which is produced by the liver and is necessary for proper digestion of fats.
Gallbladder is a green pear-shaped muscular saclike organ measuring 7.5 to 10cm long. It is located inferiorly to the right lobe of liver as well as superiorly to the pancreas and duodenum. The main function of the gallbladder is to store a small amount of bile and release it into small intestine. Bile is produced in liver by hepatic cells, which contains cholesterol, bile salts, body salts and bilirubin. Gallbladder concentrates bile by absorbing water and salts. Bile then release into the cystic duct and moves down to the common bile duct in order to enter the duodenum.
Homeostasis involves the whole body, but certain organs have larger roles in maintaining the balance. The liver and pancreas maintain suitable glucose levels in the blood, with kidneys removing metabolic waste products and maintaining suitable salt and water levels within the blood. The skin and liver help maintain body temperature with lungs controlling oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood and the blood itself transporting the nutrients and waste products around the body.
Hepatitis B (HBV) is a blood-borne viral liver infection with various routs of transmission. It is one of the most common and serious liver diseases in the world and a leading cause of death worldwide. If the infection becomes chronic the infection can lead to liver failure, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Liver disease resulting from alcohol affects more than two million Americans and is one of the primary causes of illness and death. The liver frees the body of harmful substances, such as alcohol. While the liver breaks down alcohol, it produces toxins that can be even more dangerous than the alcohol consumed (“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol's Impact on Your Health” 13). “These by-products damage liver cells, promote inflammation, and weaken the body’s natural defenses. Eventually, these problems can disrupt the body’s metabolism and impair the function of other organs” (“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol’s Impact on Your Health” 13).
Hepatitis A is a virus or an infection that causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver. According to Centers for Disease and Prevention, hepatitis A is a self- limited disease that does not cause a chronic infection and it is rarely fatal. The virus is an infectious disease of the liver which cannot be transmitted by sneezing and coughing. It is usually transmitted from person to person through the feces or the mouth, from consuming contaminated food or water. Many people do not experience any symptoms of hepatitis A, but if someone was to get it, then the symptoms could last from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. The blood is tested to determine how the liver is functioning. The blood is usually taken from the vein in the arm and
Hepatitis A is a virus or an infection that causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver. According to Centers for Disease and Prevention, hep A is a self- limited disease that does not cause a chronic infection and it is rarely fatal. The virus is an infectious disease of the liver which cannot be transmitted by sneezing and coughing. It is usually transmitted from person to person through the feces or the mouth, from consuming contaminated food or water. Many people do not experience any symptoms of hepatitis A, but if someone was to get it, then the symptoms could last from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. The blood is tested to determine how the liver is functioning. The blood is usually taken from the vein in the arm and is taken to the lab
The primary cause of hepatic cirrhosis in the United States is long-term alcoholism. Men respond differently than women to alcohol. With women one or two drinks a day can cause them liver damage. Men can consume two to five drinks a day and be ok. One drink a day can create liver scarring. So like everything else in life it varies, it might affect everyone differently. The individual who drinks alcohol on a daily basis, or more often then others have a higher risk of developing cirrhosis. Hepatic cirrhosis has also been linked to serious liver infections such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Patients who are HIV positive have died from developing cirrhosis through the hepatitis virus. Other causes of cirrhosis come from reactions to prescribed medications, injuries to the liver, exposure to toxic substances, and episodes of heart failure with liver congestion. Obt...
To begin, cancer starts to form when abnormal cells grow. Abnormal cells form when the DNA, is damaged. The fewer the amount of abnormal cells, the more treatable the cancer will be. In normal cells, the damaged DNA either gets repaired, or dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA doesn’t get repaired or dies like normal cells. The damaged cell instead replicates itself. It is difficult to understand exactly why or how cancer starts to grow, but common reasons can be from sun exposure or cigarette smoking. Cancer cells usually form a tumor. A type of cancer where a tumor doesn’t form is Leukemia. On the other hand, not all tumors are cancerous. There are benign and malignant tumors or masses. Benign tumors cannot spread to other organs of the body, but can be on the larger side and press on other organs. Benign tumors are not cancerous, but can still instill problems. Benign tumors can become malignant, or cancerous, after a period of time. Malignant tumors are the ones that are cancerous from the very beginning. This ...
This case study is about Abdul Chidiac, a 51 year old male, married with 4 children. He had a medical history of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and cirrhosis with two admissions in the last six months. He is a smoker and drinks beer, 5-6 bottles per day. As Carithers & McClain (2010) explained the patient’s medical history is another indicator of the risk for cirrhosis; the progression to cirrhosis is adaptable and may take time over weeks or many years. Cirrhosis is a liver disease characterized by permanent scarring of the liver that interferes with its normal functions including alcoholism. Most people who drink large amounts of alcohol cause harm to the liver in some way (Heidelbaugh & Bruderly, 2006). The cause of cirrhosis is not yet known, but the connection between cirrhosis and excessive alcohol ingestion is established (Jenkins & Johnson, 2010). Common causes of cirrhosis include: alcohol abuse, hepatitis B infection, hepatitis C infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (Schuppan & Afdhal, 2008).
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may begin as a single tumor that grows larger over time or as a group of small tumors on and inside the liver that multiply and grow. HCC is most common in people with cirrhosis (chronic liver damage) or Hepatitis, and it is the most common form of liver cancer in adults. This type of liver cancer accounts for 4 out of 5 primary liver cancer diagnosis.
Cancer is a disease that affects human somatic cells. It causes the cells to divide uncontrollably and form masses known as tumors. There are two different types of cancer tumors. Some tumors are benign and other tumors are malignant. Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body. Over the past few decades cancer has become a very prominent disease. There are many different types of cancer and many different causes for the the disease. Most cancers are because of a genetic mutation. The most common type occur when a cell is dividing. Proto-oncogenes, which are alleles in a normal cells, mutate to form oncogenes. These oncogenes cause cancer because they do not allow the cells to self destruct or become epistatic. There have been several research projects which have been testing epistatis.
Zein, N. N., & Edwards, K. (2009). The Cleveland Clinic guide to liver disorders. New York: Kaplan Pub.
...sis. Alcoholic hepatitis is when the liver experiences inflammation caused by drinking alcohol. If a person is diagnosed by their doctor with alcoholic hepatitis, they must immediately stop drinking alcohol. People who continue to drink alcohol against the recommendation of their doctor face a high risk of developing serious liver damage that can eventually cause death. Each liver disease is different and can affect each person’s body in different ways. Another affect of alcohol abuse on the liver is Cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is when the liver begins to scare and is no longer able to perform its regular duties. Since the liver has no nerves that identify pain in it, the liver does not feel pain until it is affecting a different part of the body that does. Cirrhosis often has no signs or symptoms until the damage to the liver is extensive and in most cases beyond repair.