Increased pressure in the portal vein.

Impairment of bile flow due to obstruction in the small bile ducts within the liver.

A chronic disorder of the liver in which liver tissue becomes scarred and is partially replaced by regenerative nodules and fibrotic tissue resulting in loss of liver function.

A disorder characterized by the inability of the liver to metabolize chemicals in the body. Causes include cirrhosis and drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Signs and symptoms include jaundice and encephalopathy. Laboratory test results reveal abnormal plasma levels of ammonia, bilirubin, lactic dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the major histologic type of malignant primary liver neoplasm. It is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. The major risk factors for HCC are chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, prolonged dietary aflatoxin exposure, alcoholic cirrhosis, and cirrhosis due to other causes. Hepatoblastomas comprise 1 to 2% of all malignant neoplasms of childhood, most often occurring in children under 3 years of age. Hepatoblastomas are thought to be derived from undifferentiated hepatocytes (Taniguchi et al., 2002).