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Liver CancerIntroduction & PicturesLiver 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.
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 livers 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 ducts 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: 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 metabolism of carbohydrates and
lipid. The liver synthesizes most blood proteins (like albumin) responsible forblood coagulation and 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, MS Page Covers: What is liver cancer? |
Location of the liver in relation to whole body. Location of the liver in relation to other organs. Artist rendering of a nonspecific tumor. Artist rendering of a nonspecific tumor. Three rendered Illustrations of how cancer cells appear. The lower right is an actual cancer cell under high-scale magnification.
Liver Cancer Pictures from our Medical Image Search Engine. |
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Page Last Modified:
03/06/2011