LIVER CANCER

Overview

What is liver cancer

Cancer of the liver is classified into several types. The majority of liver cancers are hepatocellular carcinomas, and are typically a metastatic development (meaning cancer that originated elsewhere first and then spread to the liver). Less common are cholangiocarcinomas, or cancers of the bile duct. For the minority of the liver cancers that originate in the liver, the most common cause is cirrhosis due to hepatitis B/C or alcohol abuse.

How common is liver cancer

There are estimated to be 40,710 Liver cancer cases in the United States in 2017.1

1. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/livibd.html

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of liver cancer

Liver cancer symptoms may include yellowish skin/whites of the eyes, upper abdominal pain, chalky stools, fatigue, easy bruising, nausea, and vomiting.

How is it diagnosed

Liver cancer is typically diagnosed via tissue biopsy, and supported by blood tests and imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI.

Medications

Liver Cancer

Albrighton Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy for liver cancer, dispenses specialty and non-specialty liver cancer medications including (but not limited to):

Nexavar (sorafenib)

Stivarga® (regorafenib)

Albrighton Pharmacy also dispenses traditional chemotherapy medications as well as supportive care medications ordered by your prescriber that are not listed above.

Financing Your Care

Financial assistance coordination may be available to help with your medication costs, including manufacturer and community programs. Albrighton Pharmacy representatives are available to help find a program that may work for you.

Patient Access Network Foundation| (866) 316-7263
Good Days (Chronic Disease Fund)| (877) 968-7233

Find Support

Liver Cancer Organizations

Cancer Support Organizations

There are many organizations that support research and advocacy for cancer. See below for a few of those organizations.

Government Organizations

National Cancer Institute

BLADDER CANCER

Bladder Cancer

Overview

What is bladder cancer

Bladder cancer starts with uncontrolled cell growth in the cells that make up the wall of the bladder and can occur in a number of different cell types. The most common type of bladder cancer is Urothelial carcinoma, also known as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Less common types of bladder cancer include Squamous cell carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma, Small cell carcinoma, and Sarcoma. If bladder cancer is diagnosed in early stages it can frequently be treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or targeted drug therapy.

How common is bladder cancer

Of all cancer types, Bladder cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer and affects men much more than women. It is estimated that there are 16,870 new cases of bladder cancer per year in the United States1. Bladder cancer is diagnosed most frequently between the age groups of 65-74 and 75-84. Risk factors for developing Bladder cancer include: smoking cigarettes, age, gender, and chemical exposure.

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of bladder cancer

Bladder cancer may not cause symptoms early on. Symptoms that do occur may be one or more of the following:

Blood in the urine
Frequent urination
Being unable to urinate
Lower back pain on one side
Bone pain

How is it diagnosed

There are no routine screening tests recommended for bladder cancer. If bladder cancer is suspected by you or your doctor, testing can be performed by one or more of the following to confirm the diagnosis:

Urine lab tests (including: urinalysis, urine cytology, urine tumor marker tests)
Cystoscopy
Transurethral resection of bladder tumor
Biopsy
Imaging tests