Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hepar). These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, hepatomegaly, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction. The liver is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... The liver is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ... Look up Benign in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In medicine, malignant is a clinical term that means to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant hypertension. ... Medical imaging designates the ensemble of techniques and processes used to create images of the human body (or parts thereof) for clinical purposes (medical procedures seeking to reveal, diagnose or examine disease) or medical science (including the study of normal anatomy and function). ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Hepatomegaly is the condition of having an enlarged liver. ... Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. ... Jaundice, also known as icterus (attributive adjective: icteric), is a yellowing of the skin, conjunctiva (clear covering over the sclera, or whites of the eyes) and mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the human body (or the body of another red blooded animal). ... The liver is an organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. ...

There are many forms of liver tumors:

• Malignant (cancerous):
  • Most cases are metastases from other tumors, frequently of the GI tract (like colon cancer, carcinoid tumors mainly of the appendix, etc.), but also from breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, etc.
  • The most frequent, malignant, primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (also named hepatoma, which is a misnomer because adenomas are usually benign).
  • More rare primary forms of liver cancer include cholangiocarcinoma, mixed tumors, tumors of mesenchymal tissue, sarcoma and hepatoblastoma, a rare malignant tumor in children. There is currently no cure.

• Benign:
  • Hepatic Hemangioma are the most common liver tumors, found in up to 7% of autopsy specimens.
    • A rare tumor is Infantile Hemangioendothelioma.
  • Hepatic Adenoma, mainly in women using estrogens as contraceptives, or in cases of steroid abuse
  • Focal Nodular Hyperplasia
  • Nodular Regenerative Hyperplasia
  • Hamartoma

Metastasis (Greek: change of the state) is the spread of cancer from its primary site to other places in the body. ... Tumor or tumour literally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and... Diagram of the stomach, colon, and rectum Colorectal cancer includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. ... Carcinoid syndrome refers to the array of symptoms that occur secondary to carcinoid tumors. ... Look up appendix in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Ovarian cancer is a malignant ovarian neoplasm (an abnormal growth located on the ovaries). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Renal cell cancer is the most common form of kidney cancer. ... Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. ... Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, also called hepatoma) is a primary malignancy (cancer) of the liver. ... Adenoma refers to a collection of growths (-oma) of glandular origin. ... // [edit] Introduction Cholangiocarcinoma is an adenocarcinoma of the biliary duct system. ... Mesenchymal cells, also known as mesenchymal stem cells or marrow stromal cells (MSC), are stem cells that can differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, adipocytes, neuronal cells, and, as decribed lately, into beta-pancreatic islets cells. ... A sarcoma is a cancer of the connective or supportive tissue (bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels) and soft tissue. ... Hepatoblastoma is an uncommon malignant liver neoplasm occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal or mature liver cells or bile ducts. ... Hemangioma is a benign tumor, usually in the shape of a ball, but sometimes a flatter mat, formed by a collection of excess blood vessels in an area. ... Hepatocellular adenoma or Hepadenoma is an uncommon benign liver tumour which is associated with the use of oral contraceptive pills with a high oestrogen content. ... Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a tumour of the liver (hepatic tumour), which is the second most prevalent tumour of the liver (the first is hepatic hemangioma). ... A hamartoma is a common benign tumor in an organ composed of tissue elements normally found at that site but that are growing in a disorganized mass. ...

External links

• The Johns Hopkins Liver Cancer Web Page
• MayoClinic.com: Liver cancer
• Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association