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How to Identify Early Symptoms of Liver Cancer

What is liver cancer?

Cancer that starts in your liver’s cells is called liver cancer. The liver is prone to developing several cancers. Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most prevalent form of liver cancer, develops in the primary liver cell type (hepatocyte). Other forms of liver cancer, such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatoblastoma, are far less prevalent than the previously mentioned types.

More cancers than those that start in the liver cells expand to the liver. Metastatic cancer, as opposed to liver cancer, refers to cancer that starts in other parts of the body, including the lung, colon, or breast, and then grows to the liver. This kind of cancer is referred to by the term of the organ in which it first appeared. For example, cancer that originates in the colon and then progresses to the liver is metastatic colon cancer.

Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Different people may have different symptoms, and any given symptom may result from anything other than liver cancer. And although, indeed, many people don’t have signs of their liver cancer until it’s in its later stages, other people get symptoms far sooner.
The following are some early warning symptoms that are often seen:

  • Right upper abdominal pain tends to be constant and does not come and go, either on the right side or close to the right shoulder blade.
  • Abdominal swelling (ascites) or bloating in the stomach occurs as a lump.
  • The enlarged liver, also known as hepatomegaly, may feel like a lump beneath the right side of the rib cage.
  • Jaundice (the skin and eyes becoming yellow)

Additional signs and symptoms include the following

  • Fever
  • Urine that is dark in color
  • Stools that are pale or chalky
  • Irregular or excessive bleeding
  • Vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Experiencing a sudden and unexpected drop in body weight
  • A lack of appetite
  • There is a lump beneath the left ribs caused by an enlarged spleen
  • A sensation of being full despite having had just a little quantity of food
  • Nausea
  • Weakness

A wide variety of benign infections and liver illnesses might produce similar symptoms. The progression of liver cancer may cause symptoms to change and worsen over time. The patient should consult a physician as soon as possible if they experience any of the above symptoms.

Patients with late-stage liver cancer often report severe pain. It is possible that the patient is suffering pain not only at the original site of the liver cancer but also in other locations to which the disease has progressed.

Also Read – What causes Liver Cancer?

Is liver cancer curable if caught early?

Regardless of its specific form, liver cancer is generally challenging to treat. When caught in its earliest stages, primary liver cancer is highly curable. That said, it does not happen very frequently. Cancer that has migrated to the liver from another part of the body, also known as secondary liver cancer or metastatic liver cancer, is challenging to treat. Whenever feasible, treating liver cancer aims to alleviate the patient’s suffering and increase their life span.

35% of patients diagnosed with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of the liver who undergo treatment remain alive 5 years after diagnosis. Five years after diagnosis, around 12% of patients with HCC that have progressed to regional tissues, organs, or lymph nodes are still alive. Five years after diagnosis, only around 3 percent of patients with advanced HCC who get treatment survive.

Cancer of the intrahepatic bile duct (IHC) has a 24% five-year survival rate if it hasn’t progressed beyond the liver, a 9% survival rate if it has migrated to surrounding lymph nodes, and a 2% survival rate if it has expanded beyond the lymph nodes.

What do people feel when they have liver cancer?

Symptoms of liver cancer are frequently not seen until the disease has progressed enough. Unintentional weight loss, a lack of appetite, fullness after a relatively modest meal, abdominal discomfort and puffiness, and itchy, yellow skin are all signs of liver cancer. The doctor will perform a full medical history and physical examination.

Is it a Sign of Cancer?

A change in stool or bowel movements is one of the initial indicators of colon cancer that is commonly overlooked.

Unexpected changes in the stool’s consistency, color, or movement may warrant greater worry than any other symptom, especially if they continue or worsen.

Having trouble controlling your bowels might also cause these other symptoms.

  • Feces, mucus, or gas leaks
  • Strong or pressing desire to use the restroom
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Stools or other stains on your underpants

If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above, see a doctor.

Dr. Aditya Kulkarni

MS, DNB, FRCS, MCh (Surgical Gastroenterology & GI Oncology)

Dr. Aditya Kulkarni is a Consultant of Laparoscopic and Robotic Gastrointestinal, Hepato-biliary-pancreatic, and Cancer Surgeon at the renowned Oasis Surgery Clinic Pune.

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