Liver Cancer

Radiation Therapy Cancer Treatment Centers in Scottsdale & Phoenix, AZ

No matter who you are or what your diagnosis, fighting cancer is scary – but you never, ever have to do it on your own. At Palo Verde Cancer Specialists, we’ve been helping patients throughout the greater Phoenix, AZ area battle cancer and win, providing non-invasive treatment solutions for a wide variety of cancerous conditions. We firmly believe that there’s hope no matter what the diagnosis, and we work to treat patients regardless of their condition. We offer treatments for almost any form of cancer, and liver cancer is one of the types we see most often.

About Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the world, with more than 40,000 people being diagnosed every year in the US. Liver cancer refers to any cancer that grows in the liver, the largest and one of the most important internal organs in the body. The liver is responsible for a variety of functions in the body, breaking down and storing nutrients from the digestive tract, creating clotting factors for the blood, and filtering alcohol, drugs, and other toxins out of the body and passing them to the bladder and bowels for excretion.

We can’t say for certain what causes liver cancer, as the actual processes that influence the development of liver cancer still aren’t understood – but droves of research have established a number of reliable risk factors for liver cancer. These risk factors include:

• Heavy Alcohol Use: This is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis in the US, which is a condition where liver cells become damaged and are replaced by scar tissue. Cirrhosis is itself a major risk factor for liver cancer, so alcohol-induced cirrhosis is a common cause for liver cancer in the US. Heavy drinking (6 or more standard drinks a day) greatly increases the risk of developing liver cancer.
• Cirrhosis: This condition, where healthy liver tissue is damaged and replaced by scar tissue, may be caused by alcohol use or viral hepatitis. In any case, it’s a major risk factor for liver cancer.
• Being Male: Liver cancer is most common for men, although this may be due to behavior rather than a biological predisposition.
• Race: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have the highest rates of liver cancer in the US, with African Americans and whites having the lowest.
• Hep-B or Hep-C: Chronic viral hepatitis is the most common risk factor for liver cancer globally,
• Type 2 Diabetes: Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk for developing liver cancer.

Schedule a Consultation for Cancer Treatment in Phoenix, AZ

At Palo Verde Cancer Specialists, we regularly treat patients with advanced forms of liver cancer and other cancerous conditions – so if you or a loved one have recently been diagnosed, we would be honored to help. Reach out to us at our contact page to schedule an appointment, or feel free to call us directly at one of our state-of-the-art cancer treatment centers to schedule a consultation near you. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve the healthy, normal life you deserve.