Causes and complaints of liver cancer

Liver cancer: what is the cause?

14/11/2013

In Germany, an estimated 8,000 people develop liver cancer every year. Patients have often been treated for hepatitis A or C in the past, or had a damaged liver as a result of alcohol abuse. But overweight can be a cause of liver cancer, because a fatty liver promotes its development.

Cirrhosis of the liver becomes liver cancer
In Germany, liver cirrhosis was the basis for cancer in most adults. This irreversible change in the liver tissue is the result of many years of liver damage or liver inflammation such as hepatitis.

Liver disorders are sometimes only discovered when it is too late for a cure. The first signs include a constant fatigue, a feeling of fatigue or pressure pain in the upper abdomen. Therefore, the suspicion of damage to the liver once left unspoken, because physical weaknesses may have other causes. Only by ultrasound examinations, an accumulation of water in the stomach or blood in the esophagus can be detected. But then it's usually too late. According to the German Cancer Society, an increase in liver cancer incidence is associated with an increase in hepatitis C. Nutrition also plays an important role in the development of liver cancer. So some diets can increase the risk but also lower it. Studies have shown that the consumption of coffee reduces the risk of liver disease. Medicines, occupational influences and genetic predispositions are among the other risk factors

More routine hepatitis examinations
Experts suggest that people should be checked for hepatitis more often. Only then can liver cancer be detected early enough. Surgery can only be done with good liver function. Unfortunately, this is only the case in about five percent of cancer patients. (Fr)