Liver Tumors

Throughout this section, we explore the physiology of the liver, its bodily functions and the types of cancer it develops.

Cancer stems mostly from a single primary site (colon, breast, lung, thyroid gland), and thereafter can spread to distant parts of the body. Today's medical imaging methods can not detect spreading cancer cells which might develop into a distant metastatic site.

Malignant, or cancerous, liver tumors fall into two types: primary or metastatic. Primary tumors originate in the liver itself. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer.

Because the liver is made up of several different types of cells, several types of tumors can form in the liver. Some of these are cancerous and some are not cancerous (benign). These tumors have different causes and are treated differently. The outlook for your health or recovery depends on what type of tumor you have.