Liver cancer

Liver cancer is a cancer that starts in the liver. For a thorough understanding of liver cancer it is important to know a brief summary of how the liver works and functions. The liver is the largest organ in the body. It is located below the right lung and under the ribcage. The liver is divided into two lobes: the right lobe and left lobe. Protein is obtained by the liver from a set of sources. The portal vein carries nutrient rich blood from the intestines to the liver and the hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen. Multiple types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of many various cells. Tumors that are cancerous are termed malignant and tumors that do not contain cancer are termed benign. Liver cancer is characterized by the presence of malignant hepatic tumors -- tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hēpar, stem hēpat-). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction.

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