21st Century Adult Cancer Sourcebook: Liver Cancer, Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) - Clinical Data for Patients, Families, and Physicians

Authoritative information and practical advice from the nation's cancer experts about liver cancer includes official medical data on signs, symptoms, early detection, diagnostic testing, risk factors and prevention, treatment options, surgery, radiation, drugs, chemotherapy, staging, biology, prognosis, and survival, with a complete glossary of technical medical terms and current references.

Starting with the basics, and advancing to detailed patient-oriented and physician-quality information, this comprehensive in-depth compilation gives empowered patients, families, caregivers, nurses, and physicians the knowledge they need to understand the diagnosis and treatment of HCC/liver cancer.

Comprehensive data on clinical trials related to liver cancer is included - - with information on intervention, sponsor, gender, age group, trial phase, number of enrolled patients, funding source, study type, study design, NCT identification number and other IDs, first received date, start date, completion date, primary completion date, last updated date, last verified date, associated acronym, and outcome measures.

Adult primary liver cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has four lobes and fills the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. The liver has many important functions, including:

* Filtering harmful substances from the blood so they can be passed from the body in stools and urine.

* Making bile to help digest fats from food.

* Storing glycogen (sugar), which the body uses for energy.

Having hepatitis or cirrhosis can affect the risk of developing adult primary liver cancer. Possible risk factors for adult primary liver cancer:

* Having hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C.

* Having a close relative with both hepatitis and liver cancer.

* Having cirrhosis.

* Eating foods tainted with aflatoxin (poison from a fungus that can grow on foods, such as grains and nuts, that have not been stored properly).

Extensive supplements, with chapters gathered from our Cancer Toolkit series and other reports, cover a broad range of cancer topics useful to cancer patients. This edition includes our exclusive Guide to Leading Medical Websites with updated links to 81 of the best sites for medical information, which let you quickly check for updates from the government and the best commercial portals, news sites, reference/textbook/non-commercial portals, and health organizations. Supplemental coverage includes:

Levels of Evidence for Cancer Treatment Studies
Glossary of Clinical Trial Terms
Clinical Trials Background Information and In-Depth Program
Clinical Trials at NIH
How To Find A Cancer Treatment Trial: A Ten-Step Guide
Taking Part in Cancer Treatment Research Studies
Access to Investigational Drugs
Clinical Trials Conducted by the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Taking Time: Support for People with Cancer
Facing Forward - Life After Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy and You