Important Information To Know About Liver Cancer

Hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is an inherited metabolic disease that can possibly lead to cirrhosis and eventual liver cancer. When affected by this hereditary condition, the individual's body will absorb too much iron from the food they eat. This iron will settle in various tissues around the body, which includes the liver. While this likely doesn't sound too harmful, the buildup of iron within the liver increases the likelihood an individual will develop cirrhosis, dangerous scarring of the liver that can bring about liver failure and liver cancer.

The main symptoms of hemochromatosis include abdominal pain, fatigue, joint pain, and general weakness. When this condition has progressed to a later stage, you might experience such symptoms as diabetes, impotence, heart failure, and liver failure. If treated early enough, it's possible to prevent damage to the liver as well as liver cancer.

Wilson's Disease

There are a variety of very rare diseases known to substantially increase the risk of liver cancer, the primary of which is Wilson's disease. This is a rare kind of inherited disorder that leads to the accumulation of copper within the brain, liver, and other organs. If an individual is affected by this condition, it's likely they will be diagnosed with it between five and thirty years old. While copper plays an important role in an individual's ongoing health, any excess amounts of copper are supposed to be excreted from the bile in their liver.

When affected by this disease, the patient's body will be unable to eliminate copper properly, which means it will instead accumulate in the body and eventually cause many harmful complications. If this disease is caught early enough, the treatment options available to patients should greatly reduce the potential complications and may allow them to lead a normal life free from liver cancer.