Welcome to the Liver Cancer Prognosis Center.

We made this site to help people.  Looking for information on the internet can be a confusing time. After doing my own research I decided to put this site together so you wouldn’t have to trawl the internet for your answers.

There will be eight sections covering the diagnosis, the what is and other important questions.  I hope you find it useful.

Let’s get started with…

Life after Diagnosis

Your doctor will give you your prognosis once the presence of liver cancer is confirmed. A prognosis is a medical term used by doctors to describe how you will progress through the disease basing on the results of different diagnostic procedures.

Factors affecting Liver Cancer Prognosis

The course and outcome of liver cancer is dependent on several factors.

• Type and location – hepatic tumors are easily seen and cured compared to malignancies that originate from bile ducts and blood vessels.

  

  Liver Cancer Prognosis

• Stage – the extent of which the cancer has spread and the degree of damage it has done to your body

• Grade – the severity of the malignancy based on the degree of cell abnormality and how fast the cancer is spreading

• Age – different age brackets respond differently to the disease. On average, elderly individuals have higher mortality rates compared to young adults. Demographics of individuals who have died due to liver cancer are (1998-2002):
  • Under 20 y/o – 0.5%
  • 20-34 y/o – 0.8%
  • 35-44 y/o – 3.2%
  • 45-54 y/o – 13%
  • 55-64 y/o – 17.4%
  • 65-74 y/o – 26.8%
  • 75-84 y/o – 27.4%
  • 85 + – 10.9%

• Race – Asians and Hispanics (male) have 15.4% and 10.7% mortality rate respectively. Caucasians (male) on the other hand have 6.2% mortality rate

• Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels – AFP is plasma protein produced by the fetus, particularly in the liver. Levels are high during the fetal stage and goes down after birth before disappearing entirely by age one. In adults, AFP is produced by primary liver tumors and germ cell tumors.

• Treatment and treatment response– the application of appropriate treatment given at the right time determines the outcome of cancer prognosis. Some individuals respond well to surgery, while others require additional treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Indicators for Poor Prognosis

Doctors often give poor prognosis in the presence of the following:

• Positive margin – cancer cells found bordering the edge of a removed tumor usually indicates that there are cancer cells left inside the liver even after surgical removal.

• Presence of malignant cells outside the liver

• Presence of cancer cells in nearby lymph nodes, indicating metastasis or spread of malignancy

• Multiple hepatic tumors

• Tumor greater than 5cm in size (about the size of a standard lime)

• Cancer embryonic assay (CEA) level of >200 µg/L (micrograms/liter)

• AFP levels >30 ng/mL (nanograms/liter)

Outlook

Statistics are just numbers and are there to help researchers, doctors, and scientists see if they can do something to help increase the survival rate of liver cancer. Although these numbers are somewhat depressing, there is still room for hope when it comes to liver cancer. Research is well on the way for better cure for liver cancer in terms of surgical techniques and medication. The evolution of diagnostic tests and imaging devices has improved the detection of tumors that would have proved fatal if they were not discovered early.

Each case of liver cancer is unique, and each individual can have a different reaction to a similar type liver cancer. How you perceive your condition and the measures you take to help prolong and improve your quality of life are important for you to get a better chance in surviving the disease.

 

2.  What Is Liver Cancer?

3.  Liver Cancer Causes

4.  Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer

5.  Stages of Liver Cancer

6.  Liver Disease Treatment

7.  Liver Cancer Life Expectancy

8.  Cure for Liver Cancer

 

 

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