High vitamin E diet can lower the risk of liver cancer

13 October, 2012

Liver cancer is the third leading cancer killer in the world, it is also the fifth most common cancer type in men and seventh most common cancer in women. This leading cancer killer is becoming a cause of concern all over the world. A natural way to counter liver cancer is to take diet that's high in Vitamin E.

LIVER CANCER in also known as hepatic cancer. It is a kind of cancer that originates in the liver itself and not from the other organ that eventually migrates to the liver and it is known as primary liver cancer. The cancer that originate in some other organs and reaches the liver, are known as liver metastasis or secondary liver cancer.

The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body, which is present under the rib cage below the right lung. The liver is mainly divided into two lobes, the right lobe and the left lobe. It does a wide range of functions such as detoxification, synthesizing proteins, breaking down fats and synthesizing biochemicals needed for digestion. According to a Danish study, the kids who are obese are at a risk of developing liver cancer during their adulthood.

The most common type of liver cancer is the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The common causes of HCC can be high consumption of alcohol, injecting drugs by sharing the needles and unprotected sex. A new research has discovered a new compound called Factor Qunolinone Inhibitor 1 (FQI1) that kills hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and works by inhibiting an oncogen, reported Cancer News.

The initial symptoms of liver cancer can vary from person to person and most of them don't have any symptoms. But gradually as the cancer develops, the symptoms of liver cancer start to appear and they may include loss of appetite, losing weight, nausea, vomiting, upper abdominal pain, enlarged liver, abdominal swelling, jaundice, white chalky stool and general weakness.

Liver cancer is categorized into four stages, this staging is an important factor for the treatment of liver cancer. The different stages of liver cancer are classified as:

Stage 1 – The tumor is present just on the liver and nowhere else.

Stage 2 – There are many small tumors which are present on the liver or a single tumor that has reached the blood vessel.

Stage 3 – There can be many large tumors on the liver or just a single tumor that has reached the main blood vessel.

Stage 4 – In this stage the liver cancer spreads to other parts of the body.

The treatment of liver cancer mainly depends on the extent of cancer, age, your medical history and finally on your personal preference. The treatment for liver cancer may include liver transplant surgery, surgery to remove the affected portion of the liver, freezing cancer cells, heating cancer cells, radiation therapy, injecting chemotherapy drugs into the liver and targeted drug therapy. The alternate treatment for liver cancer to relive the pain, when the cancer is at advance stages is acupuncture, acupressure, listening to music, deep breathing and massage.

The medication for liver cancer are Sorafenib (a chemotherapy medication), Doxorubicin (antibiotic) and Cisplatin (chemotherapy drug utilized to manage liver cancer). The medications for liver cancer are given mainly to treat the symptoms of cancer.

A new study has determined a relationship between vitamin E and liver cancer. The study was published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute and states that having a lot of vitamin E either in the form of food or in the form of supplements can help in lowering the risk of liver cancer, reported Diet and Nutrition News.