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Sand Nattarat Kesorn

Mr.Abel Cadias

English 10 / 10:02

May 16, 2017

How are Liver Cancer and Cirrhosis Different?

Although liver cancer and Cirrhosis are both very severe liver disorders, they are completely

different illnesses that have different causes and symptoms which affect the body differently. The

purpose of this report is to identify the differences and similarities between liver cancer and

cirrhosis and clarify the confusion between the two. The importance of this report is to explain how

liver cancer and cirrhosis are two different illnesses that affect the body in different ways. The

information in this report are based on eight sources. First Dennis Lee, MD explained about the

meaning, symptoms and stages in cirrhosis in his article entitled Cirrhosis of the Liver: What Is

Cirrhosis? Symptoms & Stages. Second, Sujana Movva, MD states in her article Understanding

Liver Cancer -- the Basics that liver cancer is secondary or metastatic, meaning that it started

elsewhere in the body. Third, Chris Iliades, MD and his article called Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer

explains how Cirrhosis can lead to liver cancer. Next, the American Liver Foundation and the article

Liver Cancer emphasizes the causes and symptoms of liver cancer. Fifth, the article entitled

Cirrhosis by the National health service UK describes how cirrhosis is formed and how to

prevent it. Sixth, the article called Cirrhosis of the Liver: Symptoms and Life Expectency explain

about the effects caused by the scar tissue of cirrhosis. Next, the article Difference between

cirrhosis and liver cancer explains the definition of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Last, the article

Differences between Liver cancer and Cirrhosis states that Cirrhosis is a little more dangerous as

it can show no symptoms during the early stages.

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What are Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer?

Cirrhosis is the last state of mostly every liver disease. It occurs when the liver got

damaged and builds up irreversible scar tissues that replace the normal functioning liver cells.

Cirrhosis can be diagnosed by a blood test and can only be confirmed by a liver biopsy (Lee,

2016). According to Illiades (2009), more than 70 percent of patient with cirrhosis will develop

liver cancer because normal cells can become cancer when theyre extensively damaged and the

scarred tissue of cirrhosis keeps the liver from functioning. There is no cure for cirrhosis, but

removing the cause can slow down the disease (Gunter, 2016). According to Movva (2015),

Cancer is an abnormal uncontrolled growth in the liver that is initial localized that is normally

secondary or metastatic, meaning that it started elsewhere in the body. Some symptoms of

cirrhosis include jaundice from the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood, Fatigue, Weakness, and

Loss of appetite (Lee, 2016). According to the article Liver cancer from Mayo Clinic, some

symptoms of liver cancer include Losing weight without trying, Loss of appetite, Upper

abdominal pain and swelling , Nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and jaundice, which some of the

symptoms are similar to the symptoms of cirrhosis in its symptomatic stage.

Confusions Between the Symptoms and Effects of Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer

According to the article Difference Between Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer (2014),

Cirrhosis is one of the cause of liver cancers which causes many people to misunderstand weather

they have cirrhosis or liver cancer. About seventy percent of cirrhosis patients will develop liver

cancer, which makes it confusing for patients if the symptoms they are suffering are from

cirrhosis or liver cancer. Many of the symptoms of cirrhosis such as fatigue, right-side abdominal

pain, loss of appetite and nausea, weight loss, yellow discoloration of the eyes and the skin, fluid
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collection in the legs and abdomen, increased bruising and bleeding, decrease in mental function

are also the first symptoms of liver cancer (Illiades, 2009).

There are many effects of cirrhosis to the body. Cirrhosis can cause edema, bleeding,

portal hypertension, hypersplenism, and liver cancer, but the symptoms often come when the

cirrhosis is already severe. Since cirrhosis can cause liver cancer, many patients get confused

between liver cancer on its own or liver cancer that is caused by cirrhosis (Marks, 2014).

Cirrhosis often shows no symptoms in the early stages so if a liver cancer patients were not

tested for cirrhosis and were treated with chemotherapy, the liver will ended being more

damaged and eventually failed to function (Smith, 2013). According to the Marks survey 2014,

46 percent of the patients with and without a liver disease cannot identify any of the differences

between liver cancer and liver cirrhosis, while 42 percent can identify about 30 percent of the

differences, however, there are only 12 percent of the patients who can identify the differences

of liver cancer and cirrhosis by more than 70 percent.

The Differences Between Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer

Cirrhosis is a severe liver fibrosis while liver cancer is an abnormal uncontrolled growth
of cells in the liver (Sam, 2014) When a liver has cirrhosis, it is considered as a damaged liver
(Lee, 2016). According to Illiades (2009), Liver cirrhosis cannot be 100 percent cured or reversed
while cancer can be completely treated with chemotherapy or other curing process. Liver cancer
is a genetic disease while cirrhosis is not. Although some genetic disease such as Wilson and
autoimmune can lead to cirrhosis, most of the patients with cirrhosis developed the disease on
their own (The American liver foundation, 2016). Both liver cancer and cirrhosis will cause
disabled liver. Cirrhosis will replace the normal functioning liver with dead cells but liver cancer
will not replace but steal the nutrients from the liver causing the liver to not be able to function
(Burdon, 2013). Liver cirrhosis causes the bodys biliary system to fail and the rise of portal vein
pressure which will lead to portal hypertension, hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia (Illiades,
2009). According to Movva (2015), Liver cancer affects the body by taking over so much of the
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liver that the organ cant function properly. This leads to a change in blood flow, bloating in the
abdomen due to the forming of ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity), weight
loss, vague upper-abdominal pain and vomiting blood.
Conclusion
This research report aimed to identify the differences and similarities between liver cancer

and cirrhosis and clarify the confusion between the two diseases. In conclusion, Liver cancer and

cirrhosis are two completely different diseases that have different symptoms and affects the body

differently as mentioned in the report. This research report recommends further studies on the

treatments for each disease specifically.

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References

Cirrhosis. (2015, April 15). Retrieved March 28, 2017,

from http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cirrhosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer. (2009, June 16). Retrieved March 28, 2017,
from http://www.everydayhealth.com/liver-cancer/cirrhosis-and-liver-cancer.aspx

Cirrhosis of the Liver: Symptoms and Life Expectency. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017,
from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cirrhosis/article_em.htm

Lee, M. D. (n.d.). Cirrhosis of the Liver: What Is Cirrhosis? Symptoms & Stages.
Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.medicinenet.com/cirrhosis/article.htm

Liver Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017,

from http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/livercancer/#Q5

Liver cancer. (2016, March 24). Retrieved May 28, 2017,

from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/symptoms-causes/dxc-
20198168

Understanding Liver Cancer -- the Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017,
from http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-liver-cancer-basic-information#2

What is the difference between liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver? | Socratic. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://socratic.org/questions/what-is-the-difference-
between-liver-cancer-and-cirrhosis-of-the-liver