Liver Cancer

Treatments on the Gulf Coast

Cancer of the liver affects around 40,000 Americans each year. At Infirmary Cancer Care, our specialists are trained and ready to help you with your liver cancer treatments. With decades of experience treating liver cancer in Mobile and across the Gulf coast, our physician specialists and expert teams seek to give you the very best in care so that you can beat liver cancer. With our all-encompassing and comprehensive treatment plans and personalized service, we have the right treatment plan for you.

Start your fight against liver cancer with Infirmary Cancer Care! Contact us today.

Types of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer occurs when the liver experiences uncontrollable cell growth. There are three main types of liver cancer: Bile Duct Cancer, Hepatocellular cancer and Liver Metastasis. While bile cancer often starts outside the liver, hepatocellular liver cancer begins in the liver itself.

Bile Duct Cancer

Bile duct cancer is relatively rare. It affects the system of ducts that transport bile from the liver to the urinary tract. Usually developing in the form of a tumor that blocks bile ducts, this type of liver cancer is usually treated through surgical removal of the tumor.

Hepatocellular Cancer

Hepatocellular cancer is a much more common form of liver cancer and begins when the liver cells themselves turn cancerous. Common symptoms of this type of cancer include jaundice, an enlarged liver, weight loss, fatigue and abdominal pain

Liver Metastasis

Liver metastasis occurs when cancer begins in another part of the body and then spreads to the liver. This type of liver cancer’s symptoms is quite similar to the others. However, symptoms may not always occur.

Common Risk Factors

Common risk factors for developing liver cancer include one's race, gender and certain chronic illnesses. Men have a much greater chance of developing liver cancer than do women. Further, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are much more likely to develop liver cancer than other ethnicities in the United States. Hepatitis suffers are also at a much greater risk of developing liver cancer and can be traced as the root cause of liver cancer in certain parts of the world. This is usually because hepatitis can cause cirrhosis, or scar tissue, to form in the liver. Individuals with this scar tissue are much more likely to develop liver disease. Large consumption of alcohol and tobacco, as well as obesity, also increases one’s chances of developing liver cancer.

Diagnosing Liver Cancer

If you are experiencing the symptoms related to liver cancer, you should immediately seek to be screened. This screening can include the use of imaging and the use of lab tests to check for hormonal and chemical clues suggesting liver cancer. If a tumor is found, a biopsy can be performed to confirm a cancer diagnosis.

Treating Liver Cancer

While the treatments for liver cancer usually vary depending on whether it is a bile duct cancer or a hepatocellular one, common treatments for liver cancer include:

Surgery
Radiation
Liver transplants
Chemotherapy
Targeted treatments
Ablation
Embolization

Advances in ablation, embolization and targeted DNA treatments have been made in recent years and have increased a patient's survival chance when suffering from liver cancer. Treatment plans are only effective when they are targeted to remove as much cancer as possible. Your physician will carefully examine the full extent of the disease to ensure the treatment given gives you the best possible chance of becoming cancer-free.