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What You Need To Know About™ Liver Cancer
    Posted: 02/08/2002    Updated: 09/16/2002




Introduction






The Liver






Understanding Cancer






Liver Cancer: Who's at Risk?






Symptoms






Diagnosis






Staging






Treatment






Getting a Second Opinion






Treatment Choices






Localized resectable cancer






Localized unresectable cancer






Advanced cancer






Recurrent cancer






Side Effects of Treatment






Pain Control






Nutrition






Continuing Care






Support for People with Liver Cancer






The Promise of Cancer Research






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Introduction

This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 01-5009) has important information about cancer* that begins in the liver. It discusses possible causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer. It also has information to help patients cope with this disease.

Information specialists at the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER can help people with questions about cancer and can send NCI publications. Also, many NCI publications are on the Internet at http://www.cancer.gov/publications. People in the United States and its territories may use this Web site to order publications. This Web site also explains how people outside the United States can mail or fax their requests for NCI publications.

Primary and Secondary Cancers

Cancer that begins in the liver is called primary liver cancer. In the United States, this type of cancer is uncommon. However, it is common for cancer to spread to the liver from the colon, lungs, breasts, or other parts of the body. When this happens, the disease is not liver cancer. The cancer in the liver is a secondary cancer. It is named for the organ or the tissue in which it began.

This booklet is only about cancer that begins in the liver. It is not about cancer that spreads to the liver from other parts of the body.


*Words that may be new to readers are in italics. The "Dictionary" gives definitions of these terms. Some words in the "Dictionary" have a "sounds-like" spelling to show how to pronounce them.

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