Liver Cancer Risk Factors
Liver cancer is a
multifactorial disease; its occurrence is not attributed to one factor. The most common factors that may
increase your risk of becoming a victim of liver cancer include:
- Being male - men are about three times more affected by liver
cancer than women.
- Age - in North America, Europe and Australia, the
diagnosis of liver cancer is frequently posed among people aged 63 years or more; in Southeast Asia and
sub-Saharan Africa, however, the disease tends to affect people aged between 20 and 50 years old.
- Liver
disease - any
chronic liver disease that is linked to excessive consumption of alcohol, hepatitis viruses B and C can
lead to development of liver cancer.
- Obesity
–
being obese or overweight increase the chance of having many types of cancer, including liver cancer.
- Diabetes
- studies have shown a higher risk of
liver cancer among diabetic people than those who are not diabetics.
- Hemochromatosis – this is a hematological disease characterized by
excessive absorption of iron by the intestine causing its accumulation in certain tissues and organs;
having hemochromatosis put you at higher risk of liver cancer. In addition, if you suffer from autoimmune
hepatitis or Wilson's disease, you have an increased risk of liver cancer.
- Alcohol - if you consume daily for many years a large
quantity of alcohol, you not only increase your risk of liver cirrhosis but also liver cancer.
- Cirrhosis - liver cancer develops most often in liver affected
by cirrhosis.
- Nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease (NAFLD) – any
fatty inflammation of the liver, even
when is not caused by excessive alcohol consumption, can foster the development of cancer cells in the
liver gland.
Causes
Symptoms
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