Are you a liver lover, boy?

CEBU, Philippines - Haller, I’m your liver!

I’m the largest organ inside your body and also the largest gland. I’m located under your ribs on your right side. I weigh about three pounds and shaped like a football that is flat on one side.

Do you know that I can grow back if a part of me is removed?

Yep, that’s one of the wonders as to how the human body was designed! Apart from lots of important jobs I perform in your body — from saving up energy, making bile to help break down food, to keeping pollution from hurting you, I also stop a cut from bleeding for a long time. I kill germs and remove toxic chemicals off your precious system. I also help build muscle. So, aside from bile production, I am also in charge of controlling your body metabolism, protein production, and body detoxification. You owe your Maker huge gratitude for granting me the power to regenerate. However, you must also do your share to make me perpetually functional.

When people do not take me seriously, they make me ill. I become swollen and sick. If your recent blood test reveals abnormal levels of liver proteins or enzymes, it may be indicative of a liver disorder.

If you’re familiar with an American Liver Foundation post, you will find out that liver cancer, for example, is “growth and spread of unhealthy cells in me.”

There are several risk factors for liver cancer. Among these are cirrhosis, long-term hepatitis B and C infection, obesity and diabetes.

“Cirrhosis (or scarring of the liver) can lead to liver cancer. Chronic alcoholism and hepatitis C are the leading causes of cirrhosis. Long-term hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection are linked to liver cancer because they often lead to cirrhosis. Hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer without cirrhosis. Obesity may increase the risk of liver cancer, while diabetes can increase the risk of liver cancer, especially in those who drink heavily or have viral hepatitis,” you must be so advised.

And what are the symptoms of liver cancer? According to the American Liver Foundation, “often there are no symptoms of liver cancer until the disease is in an advanced stage.”

“When symptoms do occur, they may include fatigue, bloating, pain on the right side of the upper abdomen or back and shoulder, nausea, loss of appetite, feelings of fullness; weight loss, body malaise, fever and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and the skin).”

How is liver cancer diagnosed? Liver cancer may be diagnosed by a physical examination or by imaging tests. To confirm a diagnosis of liver cancer, doctors may use blood tests, ultrasound tests, computer tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and angiograms. The doctor may also need to do a liver biopsy. During a biopsy, a small piece of liver tissue is removed and studied in the laboratory.

How is liver cancer treated? Liver cancer treatment depends on my condition; the size, location and number of tumors; or if the cancer cells have spread outside the liver; and that of the person’s age and overall health.

Treatment options if the cancer has not spread yet, or that the rest of me is found to be slightly okay, include: Transplantation and Surgery. If the cancer has not spread, for some patients, a liver transplant (replacement of the liver) may be an option. If the cancer has been found early and the rest of me is healthy, doctors may perform surgery to remove the tumor off me. This is called partial hepatectomy.

Other treatment options if surgery and transplant are not possible include cryosurgery, radiofrequency ablation, ethanol injection, chemotherapy or chemoembolization, as well as radiation therapy. Whew! That’s a mouthful!

What is the best way to reduce the risk of liver cancer, then?

The American Liver Foundation suggests the following steps to reduce the risk of liver cancer: Regular consultation with a hepatologist whose main, comprehensive focus is on liver diseases; talking to a doctor about viral hepatitis prevention, including hepa A and B vaccinations; taking steps to prevent exposure to hepa B and C. If one has cirrhosis or chronic liver disease, follow doctor’s recommendations for treatment and be screened regularly for liver cancer. If one is overweight or obese, diabetic, or drinks heavily, talk to the doctor about liver health and cancer screenings.