Causes, Risk Factors, And Complications Of Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is a term used to describe when abnormal cells that rapidly grow and divide develop into a mass or tumor that obstructs the functionality of the organ, crowds out healthy cells, and causes damage to the affected tissue. Liver cancer can be a life-threatening disease and most commonly develops in individuals with some prior history of problems with their liver. The liver is responsible for filtering wastes, toxins, and other harmful substances from an individual's blood to stop other organs and structures from becoming damaged or toxic. Because the cells of the liver come in contact with harmful substances and toxins frequently, they already have a high turnover rate compared to other tissues. Liver diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis, cause the cell turnover rate in the liver tissues to compound because it produces severe inflammation and damage to the liver cells. A high rate of cell turnover provides more opportunity for a genetic mutation to occur that can cause carcinogenesis in the liver cells.