Causes of Primary Liver Cancer

While the exact cause of liver cancer is not clearly understood, experts have identified some risk factors. Risk factors are things about you or things in the environment that make it more likely you will get a disease. (But having a risk factor does not mean that you will necessarily get the disease.)

Risk factors for liver cancer in adults include:

• Certain types of liver disease. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are very important liver cancer risks.

• Cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol abuse and hepatitis B and C are common causes of cirrhosis. Other chronic liver diseases and hemochromatosis are less common causes.

• Aflatoxin. A harmful substance made by certain types of mold, Aflatoxin can form on peanuts, corn, and other nuts and grains. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow the sale of foods that have high levels of aflatoxin.

Risk factors for liver cancer in children include:

• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). FAP is an inherited condition in which numerous polyps form on the inside of the walls of the rectum.
• Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. A rare condition in which babies are large at birth and can develop low blood sugar.
• A very low weight at birth.
• Hepatitis B or hepatitis C, especially when the virus is passed from mother to child at birth.
• Liver damage caused by certain diseases, such as biliary cirrhosis or tyrosinemia.

More on Liver Cancer

In the Encyclopedia:

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.