Liver Cancer

General Information on Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is a malignant cellular growth in the liver. The liver is located behind the ribs on the right side of the upper right quadrant. The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. There are two types of liver cancer. Primary cancer occurs when the tumor begins in the liver. In many cases liver cancer is secondary, which means that the cancer has metastasized (spread) from other areas of the body to the liver. To name a few, cancer of the colon, lung, breast, pancreas, skin, and esophagus are the most common cancers to spread to the liver.

Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Early stage liver cancer rarely produces symptoms. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

Tender mass in upper right abdomen
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
Nausea
Vomiting
Swollen abdomen (from fluid retention)
Weakness
Feeling tired
Low Fever (usually lower than 101 degrees F)

Treatments For Liver Cancer

After your health care provider has performed a physical exam, medical tests used to detect liver cancer generally include blood studies and liver function tests. Additional staging tests are often used to determine whether the cancer has spread. As in the case with most forms of cancer, treatment will depend on the health and age of the patient, the size of the tumor, and the patient’s preferences. The most common forms of treatment include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. In most cases surgery is only done if the cancer has been found early in its development. However, since liver cancer rarely produces symptoms until it has spread, surgery is often not an option. Additionally, even in the case of early stage diagnosis, cancer may recur with surgery because the cancer may have spread without any clinical detection. Other treatment forms are constantly progressing. Some of these include embolization, radiofrequency ablation, cryotherapy, and alcohol injections. In a few cases, liver transplants have been successfully performed.

Liver cancer is an extremely dangerous form of cancer. The condition can only be cured if the cancer is caught early, it has not spread, and surgery is successful. In most cases, it is fatal. However, treatment can help to relieve the severity of symptoms, make the patient more comfortable, and help prolong the patient’s life. Any additional treatments to those above will be aimed at pain and symptoms relief and counseling to help patients cope with the disorder. Your doctor will discuss the various treatment options with you.

If you are experiencing symptoms similar to those listed above, contact your doctor immediately for further examination.

Personal Experience

Liver Cancer - personal experiences