Facebook
Messenger
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
PrintTreating liver cancer
Share this:
By Sonya Goins
Liver cancer rates have more than tripled in the U.S. since 1980 and continue to rise. More than 41,000 people will be diagnosed with liver cancer in the U.S. this year, and more than 29,000 people will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
Lionel Kankeu Fonkoua, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center medical oncologist, discusses prevention and treatment.
Watch the Mayo Clinic Minute video:
The most common form of primary liver cancer — cancer that starts in the liver — is called hepatocellular carcinoma. This type of cancer often develops in people with chronic liver diseases, such as hepatitis.
"It’s due to a chronic inflammation that leads to liver damage, cirrhosis and eventually to cancer," says Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Most people don't have symptoms in the early stages of primary liver cancer. But when symptoms do appear, they may include:
- Yellowing of the eyes and skin.
- Unexpected weight loss.
- Upper abdominal pain.
- White, chalky stools.
Liver cancer treatments
Several promising treatments to manage the disease include targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
"Immunotherapy is kind of a novel type of cancer treatment that is designed to boost your immune system to attack the cancer," explains Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol consumption, and getting vaccinated against hepatitis B can reduce your risk of liver cancer.
"The hope is that we can trigger a tumor specific immune response for every patient,” says Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Learn more
Learn more about liver cancer and find a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic.
Join the Liver Cancer Support Group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic for patients and caregivers.
Also, read these articles:
A version of this article was originally published on the Mayo Clinic News Network.
Related Posts
Dr. Tanios Bekaii-Saab explains common causes of liver damage, how it can lead to liver cancer and what you can do to prevent it.
Dr. Maria Linnaus discusses the link between obesity and cancer risk and how bariatric surgery may reduce that risk.
Research suggests a risk prediction model calculated with a smartphone app may make surgery safer for liver cancer patients by predicting liver failure after surgery.