What is liver cancer?
• Liver cancer is an abnormal growth of tissue in the liver. The liver is an organ on the upper right part of the abdomen (stomach), just below the right lung and behind the ribs. The job of the liver is to make enzymes and bile that help digest food and remove harmful material from the blood. Vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12, iron, and copper are also stored by the liver. Another job of the liver is to make clotting factors in the blood to stop bleeding. • Normally, hepatocytes (liver cells) divide or split in a planned way, making more cells only when needed. Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and divide without control or order, often making too much tissue (tumor). Cancer cells may grow into nearby healthy tissue. They may also break away from the tumor and spread through the blood stream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastasis. Once cancer cells spread, the cancer is harder to control. What causes liver cancer? Liver cancer may
