What are liver tumors?
Liver tumors are irregular growths within the liver. They are often both cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Some widespread forms of pediatric liver tumors embody:
- Hepatoblastoma. Though uncommon, hepatoblastoma is the most typical kind of liver most cancers in kids. It’s most frequently present in kids underneath age 5 and is extra widespread in kids born prematurely. Most kids with this kind of tumor should not have some other kind of liver illness.
- Hepatocellular carcinoma. That is the second commonest kind of liver most cancers in kids. It’s commonest in teenagers, however it could actually additionally have an effect on youthful kids. Hepatocellular carcinoma generally happens in kids who’ve one other kind of liver illness.
- Hemangioma. It is a non-cancerous tumor made up of additional blood vessels.
What are the signs of liver tumors?
The signs of liver tumors can differ relying on the kind of tumor. Hemangiomas usually trigger no signs. Widespread signs of hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in kids could embody:
- Stomach ache
- Swelling within the stomach
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Lack of urge for food
- Again ache
- Weight reduction
- Jaundice (a yellowing of the pores and skin or eyes)
- Itchy pores and skin
What causes liver tumors?
In lots of circumstances, specialists have no idea what causes pediatric liver tumors. Nonetheless, kids with sure situations or syndromes could also be at barely greater threat for some forms of liver tumors. Kids could also be at greater threat for hepatoblastoma if they’re born prematurely or have one of many following syndromes:
- Trisomy 18 or trisomy 21
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
- Aicardi syndrome
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Kind 1a glycogen storage illness (von Gierke illness)
- Goldenhar syndrome
- Familial adenomatous polyposis
Kids could also be at greater threat for hepatocellular carcinoma if they’ve an underlying liver illness, corresponding to:
- Autoimmune hepatitis or hepatitis B
- Tyrosinemia
- Biliary atresia
- Glycogen storage illness
- Alagille syndrome
How are liver tumors handled?
Your little one’s therapy for liver tumors is dependent upon the kind of tumor your little one has. Your care workforce at Arkansas Kids’s are skilled in treating all forms of pediatric liver tumors and can work with your loved ones to give you the very best therapy plan on your little one’s particular kind of liver tumor.
- Your little one could take medication to sluggish the expansion of a hemangioma.
- Surgical procedure could also be used to take away a hemangioma if it is vitally massive or is interfering with liver perform.
- Surgical procedure is commonly used to deal with hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim is to take away as a lot of the tumor as doable. Nonetheless, some liver tumors are arduous to take away. If the liver most cancers can’t be eliminated, your little one may have a liver transplant. This includes changing your little one’s liver with a wholesome liver from a donor.
- Chemotherapy is a sort of therapy that shrinks and kills most cancers cells. It might be given by mouth or by infusion right into a vein. To deal with liver most cancers, your little one could get chemotherapy earlier than or after surgical procedure to assist shrink the tumor.