The liver is an important functioning organ of your body. It is responsible for filtering blood and converting the nutrients in them for energy. They are also the main platform for reducing toxins and other chemical wastes from your body.
Being the most important, it is also susceptible to cancer cells as the blood is circulated through them, and this form of cancer in the liver is called Secondary cancer.
Cancer, or commonly known as Leukemia, is a deadly disease, commonly feared. Liver cancer, also called as hepatic cancer, is no exception. There are many ways that your liver can be affected by cancer cells.
Those cancer cells that originate in the liver region, instead of reaching from other organs, are called as Primary cancer.
This is rarely caused but still expected by people who have Hepatitis. They start with tumors, where some can be harmless and some cancerous.
What Are The Causes Of Liver Cancer?
The exact reason why the cell turns cancerous cannot be explained as yet. It may be due to the cell change or damage caused that alters genes in the cells. However, there are several risk factors, which may induce damage in the cell genes, which turns cancerous.
Cirrhosis:
This is the scarring of the liver. Note that not all people affected with the Cirrhosis get cancer. It just is one of the causes.
This happens when the person is influenced by heavy alcohol or affected with Hepatitis C. This form of cancer progresses slowly, with the effects of it occurring after years.
Hepatitis Virus:
People who are affected with Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C virus is known to be a cause of the primary liver cancer. Precautions can be taken, where vaccinations can be taken periodically.
The hepatitis virus is communicable and hence, be cautious with your food habits.
Poison and Toxin:
When poisons are consumed by the body, it causes liver cancer. The body works in magical ways. When the consumption of poison is large, the stomach acids react to it and try to regurgitate it out of your system.
However, when it is taken in small amounts, they are not noticed, and instead, carried into your bloodstream to your liver.
This happens, especially in the case of aflatoxins, which are made by fungus formed in moldy peanuts and other food items turned bad.
Diabetes:
People who have diabetes, and still continue to consume alcohol, are posing to the risk of getting a liver cancer sooner or later.
Obesity and diabetes are caused due to binge eating, and also when the livers can no longer filter the bloodstream of its nutrients and fat. Resulting to this, the fatty substances accumulate in the body causing obesity and in turn cancer.
Gender:
The males are known to have a greater risk of growing cancer cells than women. While no genetic modulation is known to be the cause, it is believed that the proper reason to be the lifestyle, where men tend to consume alcohol and nicotine in larger amounts as compared to the women.
Smoking:
This is a common reason, found to be the cause in most individuals, along with alcohol consumption. The smoking, not only causes lung cancer, along with bronchitis, it also causes liver cancer, when the person is seen consistently smoking.
When the person is affected with Hepatitis, the chances are more, even for a passive smoker.
Steroids:
Usually consumed by males. They are used by gym goers, when consumed continuously, can cause cancer.
Other:
The cause of liver cancer can be many. It could be in the family history when the liver cancer is present in the previous generations; then they are known to cause to the successors too.
Some studies suggest that deficiency in L-carnitine will have higher risks. People with a low immunity and with HIV-AIDS can also pose a threat.
The scary part of liver cancer is that it cannot be noticed by the person until the cancer is in a well-advanced stage where there is little you can do to cure it.
So the obvious precautions one can do are having regular checkups and keep your body healthy and active, for prevention.