CONDITION
Liver Cancer
Introduction
Liver cancer is a serious condition that can lead to death if you don’t seek treatment. While there are several types of liver cancer, the most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma. Risk factors for this condition include hepatitis B or C infection, cirrhosis (scarring in the liver), and chronic fatty liver disease. These risk factors often make it harder for doctors to diagnose the disease early on, but there are still ways to spot symptoms of liver cancer before they become too serious.
Causes of Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world, and it’s the fourth most common cause of cancer death. According to the American Cancer Society, around 65 percent of people with liver cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage when their tumors have already spread beyond their livers—making successful treatment much more difficult.
So how do you catch liver or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) early? In many cases, there are no symptoms until it has spread to other areas of your body—or even until you notice that something isn’t quite right with your health. But there are some warning signs that may indicate HCC:
- Abdominal pain or swelling
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
Risk Factors for Liver Cancer
If you have a family history of colon cancer, you should be screened more often and starting at an earlier age. If you are over 50 years old, consider getting screened every year if:
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Alcoholic Liver Disease
- Fatty Liver Disease
- LIver cirrhosis of any cause
Symptoms of Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is often asymptomatic until it has reached an advanced stage. The symptoms are nonspecific and include:
- Weight loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal pain (usually in the upper right quadrant)
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
Diagnosis and Tests for Liver Cancer
Your doctor will conduct a physical examination and order blood tests to determine if you have liver cancer.
Liver cancer can be diagnosed based on medical history, risk factors together with
- CT Multiphasic Liver
- MRI Liver
- Liver Cancer markers such as alphafetoprotein
Ultrasound unfortunately is not a good diagnostic tool to diagnose liver cancer but used as a good screening tool to detect early liver growth for those with chronic liver disease. This is usually done every 6 monthly for those with risks.
Treatments for Liver Cancer
Treatment for liver cancer depends on the type of cancer, size of the tumour and whether or not it has spread to other parts of your body.
- Surgery: Your doctor may suggest surgery if you have cancer in a small portion of your liver. Surgery is aim to be curative to remove all parts of liver affect by the cancer. You need to have relatively normal liver function or adequate liver reserve for the option to be viable.
- Local regional treatment with Radiofrequency ablation or Transarterial chemoembolization
- Chemotherapy with sorafenib, regorafenib
- Immunotherapy : new targetted treatment to kill liver cancer cells
Summary
Liver cancer is a very serious condition. While many people with liver cancer are able to live long, healthy lives, some patients with advanced liver cancer will not survive. The disease tends to progress quickly and may require immediate treatment with chemotherapy or surgery.
Liver cancer can be treated with various surgical techniques that take out the entire affected part of the liver or part of it if the entire organ doesn’t need to be removed. If a large portion of your liver has been removed due to this disease, there may not be enough healthy tissue left for your body’s needs. In these cases, liver transplant may be advised to improve your long term survival.
Conclusion
If you or someone you know has any of the symptoms of liver cancer, it is important to have them checked out by a professional. Liver cancer is a very serious condition and must be treated quickly. The earlier it can be treated, the better chance there is for recovery. Speak to our liver specialist who has extensive experience in surgical, medical treatment and liver transplantations evaluation.
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