MedifocusHealth

Although there are over 100 different diseases that can affect the liver, a few of these deserve special mention because they have been identified as risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma - the most common type of primary liver cancer. These liver diseases include:

• Chronic hepatitis infection - Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is usually caused by a virus. The most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States include:

  • Hepatitis A - usually contracted by eating foods or drinking water that has been contaminated with the hepatitis A virus. Approximately 150,000 people in the United States are infected with Hepatitis A virus each year.

  • Hepatitis B - usually contracted through contaminated blood, blood products, or sexual contact. About 1 million people in the United States are infected with Hepatitis B virus.

  • Hepatitis C - this virus is also usually contracted by coming into contact with contaminated blood (such as sharing needles) or by sexual contact. Approximately 4 million people in the United States are infected with Hepatitis C virus.

• Cirrhosis of the liver - This condition occurs as a result of chronic liver inflammation which causes the accumulation of fibrous scar tissue in the liver. As a consequence of the build-up of scar tissue, the liver loses its ability to perform its vital functions that are necessary for maintaining good overall health. Liver cirrhosis can be caused by chronic infection with the hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus, chronic alcohol abuse, and hemochromatosis (a genetic disorder that results in the accumulation of excess levels of iron in the liver as well as other organs in the body)

• Alcoholic liver disease - Chronic (long-term) abuse of alcohol can lead to inflammation of the liver that, in turn, causes liver cirrhosis and permanent liver damage.

• Liver tumors - Tumors of the liver may be grouped into those that are benign (non-cancerous) and those that are malignant (cancerous). The most common type of benign liver tumors are hemangiomas - tumors that originate in the blood vessels. The most common type of primary malignant liver cancer is known as hepatocellular carcinoma. This is a primary form of liver cancer because the cancer originates in the liver cells (hepatocytes). Cancer that metastasizes (spreads) to the liver from another organ in the body where it originally started is referred to as secondary liver cancer.