LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Liver: Liver Tumors
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Liver resection is the gold standard treatment for most patients with primary and metastatic hepatic tumors. In the past this used to be a formidable surgical procedure with high post-operative morbidity and mortality. However, increased knowledge of liver segmental anatomy combined with technological advances and improved anesthesia/critical care have markedly decreased the risk and made this a potentially curative option for many patients.
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Liver surgery comprises various operations of the liver for different disorders. The most common operation performed on the liver is a resection (removal of a portion of the liver). The most typical indication for liver resection is a malignant tumor. Tumors can be primary (developed in the liver) or metastatic (developed in another organ, then migrated to the liver). The majority of liver metastases come from the colon. The single tumor or more than one tumor confined to either left or right side of the liver can be successfully resected with 5-year survival as high as 60%.
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Liver cancer ... occurs as metastatic cancer, which happens when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver. In the United States, most cancer found in the liver spread there after originating elsewhere. Rather than being called liver cancer, this type of cancer in the liver is named after the organ in which it began — such as metastatic colon cancer in cancer that starts in the colon and spreads to the liver.
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Liver cancer is fairly uncommon in the U.S.A. with20,000 new cases and 15,000 deaths each year in the United States. It represents about 2% of all new cancers. About 3000 of the cases are in the liver itself, the remainder are in the Gall Bladder and bile drainage ducts. However, in Asia and Africa liver cancers are one of the most common cancers. Males are effected slightly more commonly than females, and the average patient is 50 years old. By contrast, benign liver tumors are more common in females and tend to occur at a younger age.
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In the United States, cancer affecting the liver is more commonly metastatic cancer, which occurs when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver. Cancers that commonly spread to the liver include colon, lung and breast cancers. These cancers aren't called liver cancer. Instead, they are named after the organ in which the cancer began — such as metastatic colon cancer to describe cancer that begins in the colon and spreads to the liver. These metastatic cancers are treated based on where the cancer began, rather than being treated as primary liver cancers.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma... known as primary liver cancer, is the most common form of liver cancer and is responsible for 80 percent of the primary malignant liver tumors in adults. It is the fifth most common cancer in the world. In 2002, approximately 626,000 HCC cases were reported worldwide, with 15,000 cases in the United States and 53,600 in Europe. HCC is most prevalent in developing countries, particularly in East and South-east Asia, the Pacific Basin, and sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 626,000 cases worldwide, approximately 410,000 were reported in Eastern Asia (with 346,000 in China and 40,000 in Japan alone). HCC causes more than 600,000 deaths annually worldwide.
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Liver Tumors