Liver Cancer: What Is Liver Cancer?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 28, 2004 -- The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It lies under the right ribs just beneath the right lung and diaphragm. If you were to poke your fingers up under your right ribs, you would almost be touching it.


The liver is shaped like a pyramid and is divided into right and left lobes. Unlike most other organs, the liver receives blood from two sources. The hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen. The portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestines to the liver.

The liver performs several vital functions. It processes and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine. It also makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury. And it secretes bile into the intestine to help absorb nutrients. The liver is also very important in removing toxic wastes from the body.

Because the liver is made up of several different types of cells, several types of tumors can form in the liver. Some of these are cancerous and some are not cancerous (benign). These tumors have different causes and are treated differently. The outlook for your health or recovery depends on what type of tumor you have.

More about Liver Cancer:
http://www.cancer.org/