Liver and learn

CAMILLA FOSTER finds out the risk factors for cancer of the organ - and why obesity rates mean cases are set to double

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THE number of liver cancer cases is expected to double by 2050, with rising obesity rates partly responsible, researchers have warned.

Experts predict that the share of liver cancer cases linked to obesity will grow from 5% to 11%. Many adults remain unaware of the risk factors for liver cancer.

Here, Anya Adair, a medical adviser at the British Liver Trust, shares some key insights into the main causes, symptoms and treatments of this serious disease.

What is liver cancer and what causes it?

“Cancer that develops within the liver is primary liver cancer, but when cancers arise from somewhere else in the body and then spread to the liver, that is secondary cancer,” explains Anya.

“Liver cancer can develop within the liver tissue, which is called primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).”

HCC occurs when cells called hepatocytes start to multiply and grow more than they should, according to the Liver Cancer Trust.