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What Causes Liver Cancer?
Cancer develops when healthy liver cells become abnormal and grow too quickly. The
abnormal cells form a mass called a tumor. When a tumor has the ability to spread
to other parts of the body, it is called malignant. Another word for a malignant
tumor is cancer. The exact cause of liver cancer is not known. Risk factors for
primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) include:
- Viral B and C
- Alcohol
- Exposure to toxins
- Intake of anabolic steroids
- Non-alcoholic cirrhosis (fatty liver)
In many patients, liver tumors result from the spread (metastasis) of another cancer
to the liver through the bloodstream. This spread of disease represents the most common form of cancer in
the liver in the United States. Most commonly, cancer occurring in the colon, rectum,
breast, or kidney may spread to the liver.
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