Liver Cancer Overview

Conditions & Diseases: Cancers

Overview

Liver cancer, also called primary liver cancer, is a form of cancer that develops within the liver tissue. Primary liver cancer differs from those cancers that start in other organs (like the pancreas, colon, stomach, lungs, breasts) and spread to the liver when metastases, which is known as secondary liver cancer.

Normally, the liver’s cells grow and divide in a regulated manner (only a specific number of cells are produced in order to keep the liver healthy and functioning properly). When this process is impaired, the liver’s cells grow and divide uncontrollably and exaggerated causing tumors to form. There are two types of tumors: benign (the term refers to a non-cancerous mass or growth which is not life threatening) and malignant (the term refers to a cancerous mass or growth which can invade and destroy the adjacent tissues and organs inside the body causing death).

The liver is the largest gland and the second largest organ within the human body. It is located in the right side of the chest cavity beneath the right lung and diaphragm. It is a soft, red-brown organ with a boomerang-like shape divided in two lobes, the right anatomical lobe and the left anatomical lobe.

The liver is one of the few organs that can regenerate (the ability to recreate lost or damaged tissues). In fact, just 25 percent of liver tissue can regenerate into a whole liver. This is possible because the liver tissue contains two type of cells: hepatocytes (which represent 70-80 percent of the liver’s cells) and oval cells. The hepatocytes act as unipotential stem cells, which means that a hepatocytes can divide into two hepatocytes daughter cells. The oval cells act as bipotential stem cells, which means that an oval cell can either become hepatocytes, or cholangiocytes (the bile duct’s epithelial cells). The stem cell is a primary cell which is able to renew itself through cell division, and can differentiate into a wide range of specialized cell types.

The liver receives blood from two main veins:
- The hepatic artery, which carries blood rich in oxygen from the heart.
- The portal vein, which carries high nutrient blood from the spleen, pancreas, small and large intestine.

Because of its specific organization and structure, the liver performs three vital functions for the body.

1. It regulates, synthesizes, and secretes many substances necessary for the body to function normally.

The liver plays an active role in the carbohydrates and lipid metabolism:
- It synthesizes the glucose from certain amino acids, lactate, glycerol, and cholesterol.
- It breaks down the glycogen (into glucose), insulin, and other hormones.

The liver synthesizes most blood proteins (like albumin) responsible in blood coagulation and the bile (a green fluid secreted into the biliary ducts).

2. It stores important nutrients such as glucose, vitamins, and minerals.

The liver is designed to store important substances for the body like: glucose, fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, K), folate (a form of water-soluble B vitamin that is naturally contained in food), vitamin B12, and minerals (iron and copper).

3. It purifies, transforms, and eliminates toxins, drugs, and product waste.

The liver removes harmful substances from the blood and then breaks them down or transform into less harmful components. The liver also metabolizes most of the hormones and drugs, and detoxifies the body of chemical agents and poisons.

Article by Alina Morrow, MA
Medical Writer
OmniMedicalSearch.com