Liver Cancer Survival Rate

What Is Liver Cancer?

The liver is among the largest organs in the body and responsible for many vital bodily functions. Liver cancer occurs when cells start to develop in the liver at an uncontrollable rate [¹]. These malignant cancerous cells can grow between the liver’s tissues.

Over 800,000 people get a liver cancer diagnosis annually worldwide [²]. It is among the leading cause of cancer deaths since it can be hard to diagnose in time. This is why it is important to take care of the liver and learn about liver cancer symptoms and signs.

Types of Liver Cancer

There are two main types of liver cancer: primary and secondary [³]. Primary cancer starts in the liver’s tissue and occurs in two ways: cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Secondary metastatic cancer is where the cancer enters the liver from other places in the body.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common cancer type that develops in the primary cells of the liver called the hepatocytes [⁴]. It is more common among people with cirrhosis that comes from drinking alcohol. Fibrolamellar carcinoma is a rarer liver cancer that usually develops in people in their 20s to 30s.

Cholangiocarcinoma occurs in the bile ducts that are connected to the liver and gallbladder. It carries the bile developed by the liver. Angiosarcoma is a soft tissue sarcoma that starts in the blood vessels. It often occurs in older people.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer?

Patients who have one or more of the symptoms and signs outlined below, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that you have liver cancer. They might be caused by other medical conditions too. Symptoms and signs of liver cancer don’t show up unless the disease has progressed. However, if you experience such symptoms, it is necessary to get them checked immediately.

Here are the common symptoms of liver cancer [⁵]:

Appetite loss
Weight loss
Vomiting and nausea
Enlarged liver (feeling of fullness on the right side under the ribs)
Enlarged spleen (feeling of fullness on the left side under the ribs)
Pain in the belly or the right shoulder
Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin)
Itching
Swelling of belly

Liver Cancer Diagnosis and Staging

How is Liver Cancer Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of liver cancer can differ depending on the patient. The medical team usually chooses the tests for liver cancer diagnosis. The medical history, symptoms, and findings from prevision tests and physical exams are a part of this [⁶].

You might take blood tests to rule out other possible problems, such as fatty liver disease or cirrhosis. Diagnosis for liver cancer can take place through:

Health history and physical exams
AFP tumor marker tests
Liver function test
CT scan
MRI scans
Ultrasound exam
Biopsy
PET scan

Once primary liver cancer is diagnosed, more tests are conducted to check if the cancer hasn’t metastasized (spread to other parts of the body).

Liver Cancer Staging

The liver cancer stage depends on the size of a tumor and its area of spread. There are five stages of cancer from 0 to 4. The higher the stage of the cancer, the more the tumor has spread. The stage of the cancer is determined during the diagnosis stage. For example, if you have Stage III cancer and it returns, having spread to the bone, it means you are at Stage III with metastasis to the bone.

Liver cancer uses the TNM scale of classification, which is as follows:

T= Tumor size (measured in centimeters)
N= Number of lymph nodes nearby with cancer
M= Whether the bladder cancer has metastasized to other organs

Is Liver Cancer Hereditary?

Yes, it can be.

The risk of developing liver cancer can increase if you have a family history of it.

One study in the UK showed that people with a child, sibling, or parent with liver cancer are four times more at risk for developing liver cancer. It increased more than people with viral hepatitis. Patients with hepatitis B or C as well as a family history are the highest at risk for liver cancer, even at a younger age.

Liver Cancer Survival Rate

Prognosis for liver cancer usually considers two separate metrics: survival rate and quality of life (QOL). Doctors and researchers typically define survival rate in terms of five-year survival rate, which indicates the percentage of patients who are alive five years after their diagnosis. The survival rate for liver cancer is highly dependent on the stage of the disease, including tumor size and extent of metastasis, as well as on the underlying health status of the patient.

In general, liver cancers caught at earlier stages (stage 0/in situ, stage 1) have a better outlook. If the cancer has metastasized, treatment is more difficult, but in any case it is important to maintain hope. It is important to understand that survival statistics represent averages - they should not be taken as prescriptive determinations of your future outcome.

What Is the Survival Rate for Liver Cancer?

As discussed above, there are different factors that impact survival rates for liver cancer.

For stage 1, 45% can survive for over 4 years after a diagnosis takes place. People with stage 2 cancer have a 35% chance of survival for over 4 years after diagnosis. For stage 3, it is 10$ and 5% for stage 4 cancer.

Survival Rate of Liver Cancer in Women Vs. Survival Rate of Liver Cancer in Men*

American Cancer Society has found that men tend to be more at risk for liver cancer than women. For primary liver cancer and bile cancer, there are approximately 28,000 men and 13,000 women diagnosed with liver cancer annually [¹¹].

However, there are no differences in survival rates for both.

*Note that here, we are using the terms “women” and “men” to refer to female and male biological sex at birth, respectively.

Liver Cancer Treatment Options

There are many treatment options for liver cancer. The doctor might select one or more types of treatment, depending on your cancer type, stage, physical health, etc.

Here are the common treatments:

Surgery
Abalation
Embolization therapy
Radiation therapy
Targeted drug therapy
Immunotherapy
Chemotherapy

Clinical trials for Liver Cancer

2023: Safety and dose escalation of the targeted oncolytic adenovirus OBP-301 for refractory advanced liver cancer: Phase I clinical trial [¹²] – The trial’s aim is to assess the optimal dosage and safety of OBP-301 among patients who have advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The study found that a dose of 6×1012 viral particles showed good tolerance with common side effects like fatigue, abdominal distension, pyrexia, influenza-like illness, anemia, and decreased platelet count.

2023: MPS1 Kinase Inhibitor Shows Clinical Activity in Primary Liver Cancer [¹³]– The NMS-01940153E is a targeted drug that showed signs of clinical activity in this Phase 1 clinical trial among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. More study needs to be performed on dosage and toxicity but the drug showed positive impact on liver function and status.

2023: Immunotherapy for Advanced Liver Cancer (ALIVE) [¹⁴]– A clinical trial in Thailand and Malaysia was controlled multi-site, randomized, and multi-national. It was conducted on patients above 18 years with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The clinical trial aims to find the benefits of AllStim immunotherapy in comparision to Levantinib, Sorafenib, and FOLFOX4.

2022: A Study to Evaluate MIV-818 in Patients with Liver Cancer Manifestations [¹⁵] – The multi-center, open-label dose expansion or escalation study aims to assess the tolerability and safety of the MIV 818 therapy. It explores it as a monotherapy or combined with lenvatinib or pembrolizumab. For monotherapy, it has patients with either hepatocellular carcinoma or solid tumors that have metastasized to the liver. Combinations are explored on patients with just hepatocellular carcinoma.

2021: Diet and gut microbiome in fatty liver and its associated liver cancer [¹⁶] – The gut microbiome can regular the host metabolism, impacted by the diet of the patient. Fat, fiber, cholesterol, and carbohydrates can change the microbiome composition that increases risk of NAFLD-HCC and NASH. Hence, diet could act as a potential therapy for microbiome modulation of liver cancer and fatty liver disease.

Conclusion

Takeaway

Liver cancer is a serious condition that is the leading cause of death among patients with cancer. Hence, it is important to reduce risk by decrease alcohol consumption and having a healthier diet. If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is vital to visit the doctor and get checked.