Robin Gibb's liver cancer spotlights deadly disease

(CBS) Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees is battling liver cancer. The 61-year-old pop has legend was diagnosed several months ago and last week was briefly hospitalized in England before returning to his home there, the Guardian reported.

Gibb has looked gaunt in recent months, and his condition is "not good," a family friend told the Mirror. "You can use your wealth to call in the best experts, but sometimes no amount of fame, prestige and money can change things when it comes to cancer."

Liver cancer, a.k.a. hepatocellular carcinoma, can be especially hard to beat. The prognosis for the disease is poor, because surgery can completely remove the cancer in only 10 percent to 20 percent of cases. If the cancer cannot be removed, the disease usually proves fatal within six months.

Liver cancer is more common in men and in people over the age of 50. Common causes of the disease include hepatitis B or C, autoimmune diseases of the liver, chronic inflammation of the liver, and an iron overload condition known as hemochromatosis as well as alcohol abuse.

Gibb's wife, a "druid priestess," has suggested alternative remedies for her husband, according to the Guardian. In addition to surgery, mainstream treatments for liver cancer include chemotherapy and radiation as well as Nexavar, an oral medication that blocks tumor growth. Patients whose cancer is diagnosed early can be helped by a liver transplant - but few patients are diagnosed early.

The National Cancer Institute has more on liver cancer.