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About This Booklet
This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 09-5009) is
about cancer* that starts in the liver (primary liver
cancer). Each year in the United States, about 15,000
men and 6,000 women are told they have primary liver
cancer. Most are over 64 years old.
This booklet is only about cancer that begins in
the liver. It isn't about cancer that spreads to the
liver from somewhere else.
It's common for cancer to spread (metastasize)
to the liver from the colon, lungs, breasts, or other
parts of the body. When this happens, the disease
is not liver cancer. Instead, the cancer in the liver
is named for the organ or the tissue in which it
began. For example, colon cancer that spreads to
the liver is metastatic colon cancer. It is not liver
cancer.
In the United States, metastatic cancer in the
liver is far more common than primary liver
cancer.
People with metastatic cancer in the liver have
different treatment options than those with
primary liver cancer. Treatment depends mainly
on where the cancer started. Instead of this
booklet, you may want to read the NCI fact sheet
Metastatic Cancer. The NCI Cancer Information Service at
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) can
send you this fact sheet, as well as other
information. |
Learning about medical care for liver cancer can
help you take an active part in making choices about
your care. This booklet tells about:
- Diagnosis and staging
- Treatment and supportive care
- Taking part in research studies
This booklet has lists of questions that you may
want to ask your doctor. Many people find it helpful to
take a list of questions to a doctor visit. To help
remember what your doctor says, you can take notes or
ask whether you may use a tape recorder. You may also
want to have a family member or friend go with you
when you talk with the doctor--to take notes, ask
questions, or just listen.
For the latest information about liver cancer, please
visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/liver. Also, the NCI Cancer Information Service can answer your questions about cancer. We can
also send you NCI booklets and fact sheets. Call
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or instant
message us through the LiveHelp service at
http://www.cancer.gov/help.
This booklet is mainly about adult liver cancer. It
does not deal with childhood liver cancer. Information
about childhood liver cancer is available on the NCI
Web site and from the NCI Cancer Information Service.
*Words in italics are in the Dictionary. The Dictionary explains these terms. It also shows how to pronounce them.
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