Liver cancer

Liver cancer is a malignant tumor in the liver, arising from liver tissue or spreading there from another part of the body. Primary liver cancers include hepatocellular carcinoma and cancers of the bile ducts.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: A malignant tumor arising from hepatocytes, the main cells of the liver. It is the most common primary liver cancer.
Carcinogenesis: The process by which normal cells acquire changes that allow malignant growth. Liver cancers emerge through accumulated cellular changes rather than a single universal cause.
Liver cancer staging: The assessment of a cancer’s extent, spread, and related clinical features. Stage helps determine which treatments may be appropriate.
Benign liver tumor: A noncancerous growth arising in the liver that does not invade or spread like cancer. Imaging may detect benign masses that need no cancer treatment.
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A cancer arising from bile ducts located within the liver. It is a distinct primary liver cancer with different origins and treatment considerations.
Hepatitis B virus: A virus that infects liver cells and can cause chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Persistent infection can promote hepatocellular carcinoma, sometimes without cirrhosis.
Liver biopsy: A procedure that removes a small sample of liver tissue for examination. Tissue analysis can establish tumor type when imaging alone is insufficient.
Liver cyst: A fluid-filled sac in the liver, usually noncancerous. A cyst can appear as a liver lesion without being a malignant tumor.
Liver metastasis: A secondary tumor formed when cancer cells spread to the liver from another organ. It is cancer in the liver, but not a primary liver cancer.
Hepatitis C virus: A blood-borne virus that can cause chronic liver inflammation and progressive liver damage. Chronic infection raises hepatocellular carcinoma risk, especially after cirrhosis develops.

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