What is liver cancer?

There are several type of liver cancer - hepatocellular carcinoma, which affects hepatocyte cells, and cholangiocarcinoma, which develops from bile cells (cholangiocytes) and affects the liver ducts. Institut Curie specializes in treating cholangiocarcinoma. 

With about 2,000 new cases¹, cholangiocarcinoma is considered a rare cancer. It is most often diagnosed between the ages of 60 and 80, often late, which makes it rather difficult to treat. It can be extrahepatic or intrahepatic. Alcoholic or viral cirrhosis is a major risk factor. Genetic predispositions are also mentioned as a possible cause of liver cancer. The alteration of the BRCA genes, involved in DNA repair, may indeed be associated with the risk of cholangiocarcinoma.

¹ French Society of Hepatology AFEF