The liver can be affected by various diseases and conditions, resulting in benign or cancerous lesions. Focal nodular hyperplasia and hemangiomas are common benign lesions, while adenomas can become cancerous and cause pain. Cancerous lesions must be treated aggressively to prevent liver damage.
The liver is a vital organ that plays an important role in the digestive process. It can be affected by a number of diseases and conditions. The lesions, damaged areas of the liver, can be classified as benign or cancerous. Benign lesions can be the result of hemangiomas and focal nodular hyperplasia, among other conditions. Cancerous lesions are the result of the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells in and on the liver.
Doctors suspect that focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) may be caused by a defect in the way veins and arteries form within the liver. This is the second most common type of liver injury. They can be present for years without causing any problems as there are few symptoms associated with them. FNH rarely becomes cancerous, and the lesions are removed only if they cause problems with liver function or the patient’s well-being.
Hemangiomas are the result of excessive growth of blood vessels in the liver. These are the main type of benign liver lesions. As with FNH, hemangiomas are usually discovered by accident, as they often cause no symptoms. For this reason they are rarely treated. There is no evidence that an untreated liver hemangioma is at risk of becoming cancerous.
A third type of benign liver lesions are adenomas. These are relatively rare and are more prevalent in women than in men. They are thought to be triggered by the use of oral contraceptives and other medications involving large amounts of estrogen. People with diabetes mellitus are also more prone to developing this type of lesion.
Adenomas can cause pain, alerting both the patient and the doctor to a potential problem. There is some risk that adenomas may become cancerous and there is often a fairly high risk of sudden bleeding. The risk of bleeding due to a ruptured adenoma is quite high in pregnant women and should be taken very seriously. For these reasons, these liver lesions are often removed when discovered.
The other primary cause of liver injury is cancer, which is considered malignant and usually continues to grow unless treated. In such cases there are usually multiple lesions on the liver and they can spread to other parts of the body as well. Cancerous lesions are typically diagnosed through a biopsy, in which a small piece of the lesion is evaluated under a microscope. These lesions must be treated aggressively to keep them from destroying the liver.
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