What are the risk factors for liver cancer?
Liver cancer « is one of the cancers with a poor prognosis », says the League Against Cancer. 11,660 new cases were recorded in 2023 in France, and 76% concerned men. It should be noted that this disease occurs most of the time on a liver already weakened by alcoholic cirrhosis or viral hepatitis.
Alcohol is the main risk factor for liver cancer: it is the cause of 48% of new cases, according to the National Cancer Institute (INCa). Tobacco, hepatitis B and C, obesity and overweight, hemochromatosis, fatty liver disease and a sedentary lifestyle are also risk factors.
Here are the signs that may be suggestive of liver cancer
The discovery of liver cancer is often made as part of the follow-up of alcoholic cirrhosis or viral hepatitis. But when it affects a healthy person, it is asymptomatic in most cases, which often makes its diagnosis late. If it is a so-called « silent » cancer, manifestations can appear and vary according to the stage, says the Léon Bérard Cancer Center. Among them, we can find:
fatigue;abdominal pain located in the right part of the belly;
unexplained weight loss;
jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes;
swelling of the stomach;
loss of appetite;
nausea;
itching.
In a video published on her TikTok account in November 2023, Dr. Pauline Guillouche, gastroenterologist and hepatologist, reminded us, however, that the symptoms suggestive of liver dysfunction « are not specific to liver cancer, but should lead you to consult, in order to push the explorations further ».
Liver cancer: what are the possible treatments?
On its website, the INCa lists the « four types of reference treatments » for liver cancer:
partial surgical removal of the part of the liver on which the tumour is located;
liver transplant;
tumor destruction, the purpose of which is to destroy the tumor locally by heat or cold, through the skin and therefore without opening the abdomen;
chemotherapy, the goal of which is to reduce the size of the tumor and slow down the development of the disease.
Liver cancer: what you need to remember
In 2023, nearly 11,660 new cases of liver cancer were reported in France.
Risk factors include alcohol, tobacco, hepatitis B and C, obesity and overweight, haemochromatosis, fatty liver disease and a sedentary lifestyle.
Liver cancer is asymptomatic in most cases, which often makes it late in being diagnosed.
Manifestations can appear and vary depending on the stage. They are not specific to liver cancer but should encourage consultation in order to carry out examinations.
