Get Information On Surviving Cancer. Cancer Research UK. Learn More About Cancer Today. Cancer Research UK. Together We Are Beating Cancer.
Our Latest Blog Explores The Different Types Of Childhood Cancer, The Symptoms & Remedies. At PCRF, We Help Children With Health Challenges In Palestine & Beyond. Learn More Here.
Search results
Rare in children
- Cancers of the pancreas and liver may cause jaundice, among other symptoms. However, these are rare in children.
www.healthline.com/health/jaundice-in-childrenJaundice in Children: Symptoms, Causes, Home Remedies, and More
People also ask
What are the symptoms of childhood liver cancer?
What causes jaundice if you have cancer?
Is childhood liver cancer serious?
What causes jaundice in children?
How do you know if your child has jaundice?
What are the symptoms of childhood choriocarcinoma & hepatoblastoma?
Jaundice happens when your bile duct is blocked. Some cancers can cause a blocked bile duct. Find out about the symptoms, causes and treatment of jaundice.
- Overview
- What is childhood liver cancer?
- What are the symptoms of childhood liver cancer?
- What causes childhood liver cancer?
- What are the complications of childhood liver cancer?
- What is the treatment for childhood liver cancer?
- What’s the outlook for people with childhood liver cancer?
- How is childhood liver cancer diagnosed?
- Can you prevent childhood liver cancer?
- Frequently asked questions
Childhood liver cancer is one of the most rare types of childhood cancers. It has a relatively high survival rate, especially when discovered early.
Childhood liver cancer is among the rarest types of childhood cancer. For example, the most common form of childhood liver cancer, hepatoblastoma, is so rare that there are only 50–70 cases each year in the United States. The other forms of childhood liver cancer are even rarer than this.
Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is the most common type of childhood liver cancer. Still, it only makes up 1% of childhood cancers. It usually affects very young children; 95% of childhood liver cancers occur in children ages 4 years and under.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
This type of cancer forms in a kind of liver cell called a hepatocyte. Hepatocellular carcinoma usually affects older kids and teens. It’s also the most common type of liver cancer in adults. Hepatocellular carcinoma is common in countries more affected by hepatitis B viruses.
Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma
Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma is most likely to affect kids ages 5–10 years. It begins in the liver tissues and can spread to the lungs.
Childhood liver cancer affects each child differently. Additionally, signs and symptoms of liver cancer vary based on which type of cancer a child has.
All types of childhood liver cancer have a few potential symptoms in common, including:
•a palpable lump in the abdominal region
•swelling in the abdominal area
•abdominal pain
Children with hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma may have full-body symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, decreased appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
Medical experts don’t know for sure what causes childhood liver cancer, though there are some known risk factors. Still, some children receive diagnoses with these liver cancers without having any known risk factors.
Risk factors for hepatoblastoma include:
•extremely low birth weight
•genetic mutations or conditions, including:
•trisomy 18
•Aicardi syndrome
The main complication of childhood liver cancer is that it can metastasize, or spread. Common places that childhood liver cancers may spread are the lymph nodes and lungs.
Other complications include:
•increased risk of infection
•bleeding
•recurrence of the cancer
•increased risk of other cancers
The goal of treatment for childhood liver cancer is to eliminate the cancer and stop it from spreading to other organs.
The specific treatment a child gets depends on the type of cancer they have, how it has progressed, their age, and their overall health profile.
Common treatment options for childhood liver cancer include:
•surgery to remove the cancer
•chemotherapy to help shrink the tumors
•radiation therapy to help shrink the tumors
The outlook (prognosis) for people with childhood liver cancer depends on several factors, including:
•tumor size
•number of tumors
•tumor location
•whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body
•whether tumors can be removed surgically
Diagnosis of childhood liver cancer depends on the child’s age, symptoms, and the type of cancer they are most likely to have.
Diagnosis for childhood liver cancer often includes:
•a physical exam to look for signs of cancer
•a full medical and family history
•blood tests to look for abnormalities that may indicate cancer
•serum tumor marker tests and blood chemistry tests to look for substances in the blood that indicate different cancer types
Experts aren’t entirely sure what causes childhood liver cancer. As such, it can be challenging to prevent.
However, if your child has a known risk factor, they will likely get frequent tests to look for signs of liver cancer so it can be treated in its earliest phases. This can prevent the cancer from spreading and increases the chances of remission.
Ensuring that your child has received a hepatitis B vaccine around the time of birth may also help reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
It’s important to discuss childhood vaccine recommendations and schedules with a pediatrician.
Is childhood liver cancer increasing?
According to a 2020 study, the rates of childhood liver cancer in the United States have increased slightly by 2.1% between 1985 and 2013. However, rates of survival have also increased in that period.
Can surgery alone remove liver cancer?
When surgery is possible, it’s usually the first line of treatment for childhood liver cancer. Surgery is the only necessary treatment in about 50% of children with hepatoblastoma.
Does early detection help in childhood liver cancer?
Early detection increases the rates of survival when it comes to childhood liver cancer. Although the 5-year survival rate averages 60–70%, early detection can increase that rate to 90%.
Symptoms of liver cancer can include: the whites of your eyes turning yellow or your skin turning yellow, which may be less obvious on brown or black skin (jaundice) – you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual. loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to. feeling tired or having no energy.
Jaundice is a liver-related condition that causes a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, and sometimes other less obvious symptoms. While it’s quite common and temporary in newborns,...
Cancers that arise from the liver, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, or spread to the liver, such as pancreatic or colon cancer, are the most common causes of jaundice among patients with cancer. What Is the Workup for Jaundice?
- Vivek Subbiah, Howard Jack West
- 2016
The lump may be found during a child’s routine check-up. Symptoms of liver cancer can become worse as the tumor gets bigger and may also include: swelling in the belly. unexplained weight loss. not feeling hungry. nausea and vomiting. a yellow color of the eyes or skin called jaundice.
The most common symptoms of liver cancer in children are: A lump or swelling in the abdomen, which can be painful. Weight loss; Loss of appetite; Nausea and vomiting
