Liver cancer can often be prevented by protecting against the viruses that cause liver cancer. Chronic infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C are leading causes of liver cancer.
You can greatly reduce your risk for liver cancer by protecting yourself from these viruses or diagnosing and treating an infection early. Click here to learn more about the link between hepatitis B, hepatitis C and liver cancer.
There is no routine screening test available for liver cancer, but you can be vaccinated against hepatitis B and screened for the hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, which are leading causes of liver cancer. Get tested if you are at risk for hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
All adults ages 18-79 should be screened at least one time for hepatitis C. Those who are pregnant or people with risk factors of any age, including people with HIV, should be screened for hepatitis C.
You are at increased risk for liver cancer if you:
All adults ages 18-79 should be screened one time for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are both viral infections that attack the liver, and they have similar symptoms. The most significant differences between hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the transmission and treatment of the disease. People may get hepatitis B from contact with the bodily fluids of a person who has the infection. Hepatitis C usually only spreads through blood-to-blood contact. There is a vaccine for hepatitis B but no cure. Conversely, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C but it can be cured with treatment. Left untreated, both hepatitis B and C can lead to chronic liver infection.
Some liver tumors create hormones that affect organs other than the liver. These hormones may cause:
Liver cancer is treated through surgery, tumor ablation, tumor embolization, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapy. Treatment depends on the stage and type of liver cancer.