Liver cancer is a fatal disease. There are normally two types of liver cancers. One, where the tumor begins directly in the liver, is called primary liver cancer. Another one is where the malignancy spreads in the liver as a metastatic result of the cancer present in any other part of the body. Different types of cancers can affect the liver and require intensive medical care to heal. The earlier the detection, the better the chances of a speedier recovery of the patient. This guide aims to provide you with key details about liver cancer and its successful treatment.
What is Liver Cancer
Medical experts define liver cancer as the growth of cancerous cells in the liver. The liver is an organ the size of a football, located in the upper right portion of a human’s abdomen area. The disease that forms in the liver cells directly is called primary type of liver cancer. In case the ailment spreads through the cancer present in another organ, then it is called a secondary type of liver cancer. It is a life-threatening disease and requires comprehensive medical care. Some of the types of liver cancers include hepatocellular carcinoma (most common), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and hepatoblastoma.
How does Liver Cancer affect people?
The liver is the vital organ of the human body and manages major functions related to digestion, detoxification of the body and overall health. If cancer has spread in the liver, it is problematic and affects the patients in several ways. The ailment disrupts vital functions of the human body and causes painful symptoms such as jaundice, pain in the abdomen, tiredness, weight loss and several other complications. If not treated in time and the cancer reaches its advanced stages, it could turn fatal and cost the patients their life. Overall metabolism of the patient is affected and disturbs the scope of healthy living.
What are the symptoms of Liver Cancer?
Sometimes, liver cancer may not show any serious early signs or the symptoms might be very similar to any other common liver disease. Therefore, it may become hard to detect at the earlier stages. However, the best approach would be to look for the key symptoms, which may be related to liver cancer and be active in getting the diagnosis done. The earlier the diagnosis, the higher are the chances of getting the most adequate treatment.
- Weight loss: If a person is experiencing weight loss, without intentionally trying to do so, it should be seen as a sign of an underlying disease.
- Change in the color of stool: If the stool color has changed to pale or grey, then it is a sign that one should consult a liver expert.
- Loss of appetite: If a person does not feel hungry and loses the appetite, the chances of the liver cancer are higher.
- Weakness and fatigue: If a person experiences unrealistic tiredness and weakness in the entire body, this could indicate presence of malignancy in the liver and calls for diagnosis.
- Swelling in the abdominal area: Patients having cancer growing in their liver may experience swelling in the abdomen area.
- Lump on the right side of the body: Patients dealing with liver cancer may experience the presence of a hard lump near the rib cage on the right side of their body.
- Discoloration of the skin (yellow): Similar to jaundice, people can experience yellow colored eyes and pale yellow skin color due to an underlying cancer disease in the liver.
- Yellow colored urine: If a person experiences regular yellow colored urine, it is time to consult the medical care experts.
- Fever: People suffering from liver cancer may experience frequent fevers and bodyaches.
- Itchy skin: Itching on the skin and allergic reactions could be a sign of underlying cancerous condition in the liver.
- Bruising on the skin: People suffering from liver cancer may experience bruising on their skin.
What are the causes of Liver Cancer?
The presence of a mass of cancerous cells in the liver indicates liver cancer. It may occur due to several reasons, which are mentioned below. It is very important that these causes are prevented to ensure a healthy liver and happy life. As long as one is aware about the key symptoms and doesn’t delay the diagnosis, chances of getting right medical treatment in time are increased.
- Chronic liver infections such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) may increase the risk of liver cancer.
- If there are mutations in the DNA cells of the liver, it causes cancer to form and spread inside the organ.
- Liver cirrhosis could be a key reason that leads to cancer at a later stage. This disease is irreversible and progressive in nature. In this health condition, the scar tissues begin to form inside the liver, and later, they increase the chances of cancerous tumors forming in the liver.
- There are certain inherited diseases such as hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease, which may increase the chances of liver cancer developing in a patient.
- Disturbed blood sugar levels and diabetes can also be the underlying reasons for liver cancer’s development in a person’s body.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver can also cause liver cancer if not treated and controlled at the right time.
- People, who consume excessive alcohol, might put their liver under the risk of developing liver cancer.
- Aflatoxins are poisonous substances produced by mold present on poorly stored nuts and grains. Consumption of these may also lead to liver cancer.
- In metastatic cases, cancer is spread to the liver through the other body organs affected by the malignancy in the first place.
Diagnosis of Liver Cancer
If a patient is experiencing the symptoms that are indicating towards an underlying serious disease in the liver, the next step is medical diagnosis. The diagnostic experts follow the following diagnostic methods to get clarity on the presence and stage of the ailment.
- Blood tests: Medical experts run several blood tests and liver function tests to identify presence of any unusual health issues in the liver.
- CT scan: With the help of clear images taken by the CT scan, the diagnosis experts can figure out the size and location of the tumor inside the liver.
- MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging is used to identify cancer present in the liver with the help of clear imaging, generated by magnetic and radio waves controlled by a computer system.
- Ultrasound of the liver: This test helps in taking pictures of the internal side of the liver with the help of ultrasound imaging and helps identify the presence of the cancerous treatment.
- ERCP test: This test is used to identify the presence of bile cancer in the patient’s liver.
- Angiogram: In this process the diagnosis experts examine the blood vessles present in the human liver to assess if they’re affected by the cancerous cells.
- Biopsy: This is done using fibre tissues from the inside of the liver to identify the stage and severity of the ailment.
Stages of Liver Cancer
Medical care experts conduct several types of diagnostic examinations to confirm the stage of the liver cancer. Knowing the stage helps in understanding the severity of the ailment and planning the suitable treatment accordingly. Diagnostic experts have divided liver cancer in 4 main stages mentioned below:
- Stage 1: This is the earliest stage and is also called stage 0 in some cases. At this stage, the tumor is present in the liver but it is not more than the size of 2 cms (or 4/5 inches).
- Stage 2: This is the second stage, where the tumor has enlarged to the size of 5 cms (2 inches) and there are other tumors present in the liver, which are smaller than the size of 3 cms (1 1/4 inches).
- Stage 3: At this stage, there are more than one tumors present in the liver and the size is more than 5 cms. At this stage, the cancer has also spread to lymph nodes as well as blood vessels.
- Stage 4: This is also called the final stage of cancer, where the liver cancer has spread to other organs such as lungs and bones etc.
Treatment of Liver Cancer
In order to treat liver cancer effectively, correct and timely diagnosis is the prime step. Otherwise, the ailment can be lethal and cause harmful impacts. There are several types of treatments, ranging from medications to surgery. Based on the type and stage of the ailment, the doctors use one or a combination of more than one treatment.
- Surgery: Surgical treatment is used to remove the tumors from the liver. Some of the most common types include Ablation, Hepatectomy (liver resection), and Liver transplantation.
- Chemotherapy: This is one of the most common treatments used to fight liver cancer. Medications are used to kill the cancer cells and prevent the tumor from growing. Normally, this treatment is used with radiation therapy or surgical treatment.
- Chemoembolization: This method includes the injection of an embolic agent and cancer-eliminating medications in the liver for the treatment of the tumor. This treatment disrupts the blood supply for the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: There are two types of radiation therapies used: external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and internal radiation therapy to treat the disease present inside the liver.
- Radioembolization: This process aims at cutting the blood supply of a specific blood vessel, which stops the blood from flowing through that vessel. This treatment is used in very specific cases and doctors decide to use it under specific conditions.
- Targeted Therapy: This therapy is used to treat the genetic mutation that are responsible for turning healthy cells into cancerous cells. This therapy specifically focuses on cancerous cells and not healthy cells.
- Immunotherapy: This therapy puts in use the immune system of the body to eliminate the cancer cells present in the liver.
How to Prevent Liver Cancer
It might not be possible to prevent liver cancer because the reasons and factors are multiple and many of them are out of control. However, taking care of the following key components may help you minimise the chances of getting liver cancer:
- Avoid consumption of alcohol.
- Avoid excessive smoking.
- Prevent yourself from chronic liver diseases such as hepititis C.
- Avoid contact with infected blood and do not share needles.
- Get hepatitis B shots to avoid chronic liver ailment.
- Eat healthy and maintain a balanced lifestyle.
- Maintain a good and balanced weight in your body.
Do not ignore the early symptoms and signs; consult a doctor as soon as you experience discomfort.
Why Choose Cancerrounds?
Cancer Rounds is a trusted source which offers you all the support you need to deal with cancer-related treatment. If you are looking for medical support for liver cancer treatment in India, you can choose us to help you through the process. From connecting you with right cancer care hospitals to help you get cost-effective treatments, we’re here to help you. You can choose us for:
- Consultation for cancer care treatment.
- Assistance in shortlisting the most suitable hospital.
- Assistance for cost-estimation.
- Assistance with travel and visa.
- Accommodation assistance.
Conclusion
Liver cancer is a dangerous and life-threatening disease. There are several causes associated with this ailment and not all of them are known. The best approach is to be careful and aware of your health condition and not ignore your well-being. There are several types of effective treatment available for liver cancer. Diagnosing it in time, correctly and getting the right treatment creates scope for a healthy recovery from this ailment.
Whatsapp Us
