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Liver Cancer
What Is Liver Cancer? | Risk Factors | Symptoms and Diagnosis | Stages and Treatments | About Clinical Trials | Greenebaum Cancer Center
Risk Factors
Primary liver cancer is most common among people who have hepatitis B or C (viral infections of the liver) or cirrhosis of the liver (growth of scar tissue on the liver). Exposure to certain chemicals also increases a person's chances of developing liver cancer. Chemicals such as aflotoxin, anabolic steroids, and arsenic are associated with liver cancer risk.
The best way to prevent liver cancer is to prevent other diseases of the liver:
- A vaccine against hepatitis B is now available and should be given to all
children. Hepatitis C is contracted primarily through the blood and is preventable
by using the appropriate safety practices.
- People who are most at risk include anyone who has injected illegal drugs,
persons who were treated with blood products before 1987 or who received a
blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992, persons who have been on
hemodialysis for an extended period of time, and anyone who has been exposed
to the blood of a person who tested positive for hepatitis C.
- Cirrhosis of the liver is often the result of alcohol abuse and can be prevented by moderating alcohol consumption.
This page was last updated on: March 3, 2008.
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