Hepatocellular Carcinoma
What is Hepatocellular Carcinoma?
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer. It starts in the main cells of your liver called hepatocytes. These cells help filter toxins, make proteins, and store energy.
This cancer usually develops in people who have chronic liver disease or cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver tissue from long-term damage. When your liver is inflamed or damaged for years, cells can mutate and grow out of control.
Hepatocellular carcinoma most often affects people with hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections. Heavy alcohol use, fatty liver disease, and exposure to certain toxins also increase risk. Early detection through regular blood monitoring can catch changes before symptoms appear.
Symptoms
- Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss
- Pain or swelling in the upper right abdomen
- Feeling very tired or weak
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes, called jaundice
- Nausea and vomiting
- White or chalky colored stools
- Swelling in the abdomen from fluid buildup
- Easy bruising or bleeding
- Fever that comes and goes
Many people have no symptoms in the early stages. This is why regular blood testing matters if you have risk factors like chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis.
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Causes and risk factors
Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections are the leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. These viruses inflame liver tissue for years, leading to scarring and cell damage. Long-term heavy alcohol use damages liver cells and can lead to cirrhosis, which greatly increases cancer risk. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease from obesity and metabolic syndrome is becoming a more common cause.
Other risk factors include exposure to aflatoxins, toxic substances found in moldy grains and nuts. Inherited liver diseases like hemochromatosis and Wilson disease also raise risk. Men are two to three times more likely to develop this cancer than women. Most cases occur in people over age 60, though hepatitis B can cause cancer at younger ages.
How it's diagnosed
Doctors diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma through a combination of blood tests and imaging studies. Blood tests can detect hepatitis B surface antigen to check for chronic hepatitis B infection. Tests for hepatitis C RNA confirm active hepatitis C. Liver enzyme tests like aspartate aminotransferase show liver damage and inflammation.
Rite Aid offers testing for key biomarkers linked to hepatocellular carcinoma risk. Regular monitoring of AST levels, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C viral load helps catch problems early. Your doctor may also order imaging tests like ultrasound, CT scans, or MRI to look at your liver directly. A biopsy may be needed to confirm cancer cells in some cases.
Treatment options
- Surgery to remove part of the liver or a full liver transplant for early stage cancer
- Ablation therapy to destroy tumors using heat, cold, or alcohol injections
- Embolization to block blood flow to the tumor
- Targeted therapy drugs that attack specific cancer cell proteins
- Immunotherapy to help your immune system fight cancer cells
- Radiation therapy to shrink tumors
- Treating underlying hepatitis with antiviral medications like sofosbuvir or tenofovir
- Stopping alcohol use completely to prevent further liver damage
- Maintaining a healthy weight through balanced nutrition and regular movement
- Managing diabetes and metabolic syndrome with diet and medication
Concerned about Hepatocellular Carcinoma? Get tested at Rite Aid.
- Simple blood draw at your nearest lab
- Results in days, not weeks
- Share results with your doctor
Frequently asked questions
Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections are the leading causes worldwide. These viruses inflame liver tissue over many years, creating scarring that can lead to cancer. Heavy alcohol use, fatty liver disease, and inherited liver conditions also increase risk significantly.
Blood tests can detect risk factors and liver damage before cancer develops. Tests for hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C RNA, and liver enzymes like AST help monitor people at high risk. Regular testing allows doctors to catch changes early and order imaging studies when needed.
Early hepatocellular carcinoma often causes no symptoms at all. When symptoms appear, they may include unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, and pain in the upper right abdomen. Fatigue, yellowing of skin or eyes, and swelling in the belly are also common signs.
People with chronic hepatitis should have blood tests every six months to monitor liver function and viral load. Your doctor may also recommend liver imaging studies twice a year if you have cirrhosis. Regular monitoring helps catch cancer at the earliest and most treatable stage.
Hepatocellular carcinoma can be cured if caught very early and treated with surgery or liver transplant. Small tumors found through regular screening have the best outcomes. Later stage cancers are harder to cure but can be managed with targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and other treatments.
Stop drinking alcohol completely if you have liver disease. Maintain a healthy weight through balanced nutrition and regular physical activity. Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and avoid sharing needles or other behaviors that spread hepatitis C.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to cirrhosis, which increases cancer risk. About 25 percent of people with cirrhosis from fatty liver will develop hepatocellular carcinoma. Managing weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol helps prevent this progression.
Modern antiviral medications can cure hepatitis C in over 95 percent of cases. Curing hepatitis C greatly reduces but does not eliminate liver cancer risk. People who had advanced scarring before treatment still need regular monitoring because cancer risk remains elevated.
Aspartate aminotransferase is an enzyme that rises when liver cells are damaged or dying. High AST can signal active hepatitis, cirrhosis, or possibly liver cancer. Regular AST monitoring helps track liver disease progression and response to treatment over time.
People with chronic hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis from any cause, and heavy drinkers face the highest risk. Those with fatty liver disease, diabetes, or inherited liver conditions also have increased risk. Men over 60 and people with family history of liver cancer should be monitored closely.