Liver Cancer Papers

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Week 11 Individual Work Edith Cooper Everest University ENC 1102-163 Composition II Professor Jacqui Asbury January 3, 2013 Liver Cancer What is the Liver? The liver is an organ in your body that filters the blood that is circulating and converts the nutrients and the drugs that are absorbed from the digestive system into chemicals. It performs many functions. One of the functions is to remove toxins and chemical waste products from the blood in order to allow excretion. Blood must pass through the liver in order to access cancer cells. Most liver cancer starts elsewhere in the body and spreads to the liver. Different types of tumors can form in the liver. Some of these can be benign or noncancerous; or malignant. Some of the common…show more content…
They may include fever, fatigue, nausea or vomiting. Symptoms may appear together or separate. These symptoms may also be of other sicknesses. They do not always pinpoint liver cancer. There may also be a loss of appetite, pain in the side of abdomen or right shoulder blade area. Symptoms may vary from person to person. They may show up to late in advanced stages. In some countries where health care is so limited, liver cancer is diagnosed in late stages. Screening options may not be available. Weight loss and unexplained fevers may be a warning sign of cirosis. Liver cancer is very difficult to treat and may not always be successful. It depends on what stage it is in. There are 4 stages; stage 4 is the worse. The decision is made by the treatment algonithm or decision tree. Treatment options are liver transplant, surgical resection, liver-directed, beam radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and clinical trials. Each patient is different and reacts differently to each treatment. Sometimes, the cancer can be determined by blood tests. Sometimes the tumor spreads to other parts of the body as well. Sometimes there may not be a

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