The liver breaks down drugs and alcohol and gets rid of toxins in the body. We asked Dr. Robert Lim, Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology, to tell us more about liver cancer.<\/p>\n
How common is liver cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\n Liver cancer can affect anyone. However, people with conditions including hepatitis B or C, heavy alcohol consumption, and cirrhosis (in which the healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue) are at a higher risk.<\/p>\n According to Dr. Lim, liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer in males in Singapore and ranks high in cancer deaths in females.<\/p>\n The most common primary type starts in the liver cells (hepatocellular carcinoma) or in the cells lining the bile ducts (cholangiocarcinoma). Secondary liver cancer is cancer that has spread to the liver from cancer that started in another part of the body.<\/p>\n