Childhood cancer: Hepatoblastoma

Children under 3 years are affected.
When Hepatoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the liver that occurs predominantly in children during the first 3 years of life. In some cases, the hepatoblastoma can produce hormones. If a million people take an average of 1.6 diseases.


The liver is growing.
By increasing the growth of tumors in the liver leads to a hardening of body. Furthermore, the withdrawal of the belly bulge. You may experience loss of appetite and vomiting. In the hormone-producing tumors, premature onset of puberty is possible. In the course of the disease can form daughter tumors (metastases) in lymph nodes, lungs, and / or bone.

Because of the typical symptoms and findings on physical examination, the presumptive diagnosis of hepatoblastoma can be made. The diagnosis must be substantiated by further investigations. These may be blood tests, ultrasound examination and computer and / or magnetic resonance imaging of the liver, X-ray examinations of the lungs and skeleton.


Surgery and chemotherapy are the treatment of choice.
In therapy, the surgical removal of the tumor in combination with chemotherapy in the foreground. In some cases it may be useful to apply directly before surgery with chemotherapy effective drugs in the tumor. This is achieved by injecting the substances into an artery supplying the tumor. To see exactly the doctor performing it, if it has reached the right artery, the injection is controlled by a simultaneous X-ray examination. It is possible to remove through surgery up to 80 percent of the liver tissue. Then, the liver is able to grow from the remaining residual tissue back to its normal size. Because the liver is an important role in the production of various proteins plays important for the body, may occur after the operation by the temporary loss of tissue to corresponding disturbances, eg Clotting disorders, blood sugar regulation disorders or blood protein deficiency.


Survival rate of 70 percent.
The long-term survival depends, among other things, the tumor stage. Depending on the progression of the disease 4 stages can be distinguished. The long-term survival as a function of the stages is on average about 70 percent.