Cancer that develops in the tissue or cells of your liver is known as liver cancer. The liver is a football-like big organ that lies in the upper right part of your abdomen, under your diaphragm, and just above your stomach.
Many kinds of cancer tumors can develop and grow in the liver. The most general kind of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, which forms in the primary liver cell (hepatocyte). Other kinds of cancer, such as hepatoblastoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, are less common.
Cancer that grows in the liver is more general than cancer that forms in the liver cells. Cancer that develops in another site of the body — such as the lung, colon, or breast — and then grows to the liver is known as metastatic cancer instead of liver cancer. This kind of cancer tumor is named after the location where it developed— such as metastatic colon cancer to explain cancer tumors that form in the colon and grow to the liver.
Early Warning Signs Of Liver Cancer
The early signs of liver cancer may differ for each individual, and any one of these signs and symptoms may be led by other situations. Also, severe signs of liver cancer are more general in the post stages, though a few cancer patients encounter them earlier.
A few typical early warning signs of liver cancer involves:
- Chronic pain in the upper abdomen location on the right side or surrounding the right shoulder blade
- Dilated liver (hepatomegaly) seem like a chunk of mass under the ribs on the right side Jaundice (paled skin and eyes)
- Abdominal inflammation (ascites) or bloating in the stomach that grows as a mass
Other signs and symptoms of cancer are as follows:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Pale/chalky stools
- Dark urine
- Easy contuse or bleeding
- Weakness
- Poor appetite
- Nausea
- Enlarged spleen seems or experiences a mass under the ribs on the left side.
- Abnormal and unintentional weight loss
- Feeling of fullness after eating a small quantity of food
- Vomiting/ nausea
Most of these signs and symptoms may be caused by other kinds of amiable liver infections or sickness. In the case of cancer, the symptoms and signs may be ongoing to mature and exacerbate as the cancer tumor develops and the illness advances. If an individual encounters potential cancer symptoms, it’s necessary to visit a doctor or physiotherapist for a proper diagnosis. Most people ask, “is liver cancer curable”? For them, the answer is yes.
Causes Of Liver Cancer
Liver cancer occurs when liver tissues and cells change or mutate in their DNA. A cancer cell’s DNA is the substance that gives directions for every chemical process and activity in your body. DNA mutations lead to changes in these directions. One consequence is that cancer cells may spread out of control and eventually develop a tumor — a chuck of cancerous cells.
At times, the reason for developing liver cancer is known, such as acute hepatitis infections. But there are times when liver cancer occurs in people with no underlying illness, and it’s not clear the reason behind it.
Different Stages Of Liver Cancer
After a person gets diagnosed with malignant liver cancer, doctors or oncologists will try to find out if it has rolled out, and if so, how far. This whole process is known as staging. The cancer disease stage tells how many or how big a cancer tumor is present in the body. It helps determine how critical the cancer is and what treatment method can be used. Doctors or surgeons also use a cancer stage when speaking about survival rates.
There are different stages of liver cancer, ranging from stage I (1) to IV (4). As a set rule, the initial the stage, the less cancer has spread. The higher stage, such as stage IV, means liver cancer has grown widely.
What Are The Risk Factors For Liver Cancer
People often ask, “is liver cancer hereditary”? Regardless of the fact that liver cancer deaths are primary and strong hereditary elements, a family history of the disease can escalate a person’s chances of growing liver cancer. HCV and HBV infections and excessive alcohol consumption are potential risk factors for causing liver cancer. HCV and HBV can be passed on from mother to child via blood, but not via genes, surging an individual’s risk of caught infection if the mother was already infected before the child’s delivery. Below are some of the factors that raise the chances of developing initial or stage zero liver cancer include:
- Chronic infection with HCV or HBV: Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) raises your possibilities of liver cancer.
- Direct contact to aflatoxins: Aflatoxins are basically toxins or poisons manufactured by molds that develop on crops accumulated badly. Crops, such as nuts and grains can become defiled with aflatoxins, which can contaminate the foods made up of these products.
- Specific inherited liver Illnesses: Liver illnesses that can surge the risk of developing liver cancer include Wilson’s disease and hemochromatosis.
- Diabetes: Patients with blood sugar disorder possess a higher risk of forming liver cancer than people who don’t have diabetes or blood sugar.
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver illness: A collection of fat in the liver raises the chance of liver cancer.
- Cirrhosis. This maturing and irreversible health condition leads to scar tissue growing in your liver and escalates your possibilities of forming liver cancer.
- High alcohol consumption. Intaking more than a recommended amount of alcohol regularly over several years can cause irreversible liver harm and increase your possibility of getting liver cancer.
Are you experiencing any early signs of liver cancer? If yes, you should visit your doctor immediately, as the more early cancer gets detected, the easier it is to treat. If you have recently been diagnosed with liver cancer, come to University Cancer centers and receive better and immediate cancer treatment. We believe in treating every patient as our family member, and our professional yet friendly medical staff help patients in their daily tasks.