Liver Cancer Symptoms You Need to Know About

Oncology Pathologies of the gallbladder

Symptoms of gallbladder cancer depend on the form and stage of the cancer process. The main problem of the early stage of pathology is the complete absence of any pronounced symptoms.

That is why the disease is often detected in the later stages, when the longest and most serious therapy is required.

Gallbladder cancer is an oncological disease, the essence of which is that a pathological cell affects the tissue of the gallbladder.

With this disease, anatomically correct elements actively mutate at the DNA level, pathologically altered cells gradually displace healthy ones, beginning to rapidly divide.

After a certain period of time, mutation cells group and form a malignant tumor.

It is important to know!

Gallbladder cancer is an extremely rare malignant process that can occur no more often than 7% of all cancers. In the vast majority of cases, an organ such as the gallbladder is affected over the age of 60-65 years.

What is liver cancer?

When liver cancer occurs, mutated cells grow in the organ, forming a tumor. In the primary disease, the neoplasm grows from hepatocytes. If the cancer is secondary, and it is detected 30 times more often, metastases become the culprits of the tumor in the liver.

Every year, liver cancer is diagnosed in 700,000 people around the world, most often in China, South Africa, and India. In Russia, the risk of developing this disease is higher in the northern regions. According to scientists, the cause may be the consumption of raw fish, due to which parasites enter the body and infect liver cells.

At risk are people over 40 years of age and all men; they become ill 4 times more often. According to statistics, in 60% of women, the detected tumors turn out to be benign, and only in 40% - malignant. In men, the tumor becomes cancerous in 9 out of 10 cases.

What causes liver cancer: causes

Doctors have noticed a connection between hepatitis disease and cancer. According to statistics, most hepatitis carriers subsequently develop primary cancer. According to the same statistics, men get sick more often than women by 12% (according to research by American scientists). The age of most patients ranges from 50 to 65 years.

Who is more prone to liver cancer:

• Patients with hepatitis
• Patients with cirrhosis of the liver
• People working with chemicals
• Carriers of Treponema pallidum
• People suffering from alcohol addiction
• Suffering from cholelithiasis
• Uncontrolled use of anabolic steroids
• Patients with diabetes (due to metabolic disorders in the body)
• Genetic predisposition
• Drug addicts
• Carriers of a parasitic worm (helminth) in the liver. During its life, the worm secretes toxins that lead to the formation of a tumor and its rapid maturation.

Cancer is divided into 4 stages:

At the first stage, the symptoms are similar to any other disease, but not cancer. Cancer can be detected at this stage during a routine examination. The patient does not yet have specific symptoms. This period can last from several months to five years.

In the second stage, the tumor begins to grow and destroy blood vessels. The size can be from 1 cm to 6 cm. Disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and sometimes low-grade fever appear. The patient can live up to several years.

At the third stage, specific symptoms are pronounced. It is at this stage that the diagnosis most often occurs. At this stage, a successful outcome of the disease is still possible. If untreated, life expectancy ranges from 6 months to 1 year.

At the fourth stage, it is no longer possible to cure a person, you can only alleviate his condition. At this stage, metastases are detected in many internal organs and systems. Metastases spread throughout the body through the bloodstream. The outcome of the fourth stage is only fatal. Life expectancy ranges from one month to six months.

Causes

Liver cancer often provokes metastases that spread from other organs. Other reasons include the following:

1. Liver diseases. Cancer often occurs due to hepatitis, which is not treated in any way. Not only drug addicts and people who constantly change sexual partners are at risk of contracting it. Infection is possible during a manicure in a salon if the master has not sterilized the instruments, even at home when using the same razor with an infected person. In the later stages of hepatitis, cirrhosis develops, and it already provokes tumors in the liver tissues.
2. Long-term intoxication - alcohol, carcinogens from food, harmful substances that have a professional connection. Cancer is especially dangerous for workers who do not wear respirators or gas masks at work, since any poisons affect the condition of the liver. It filters and neutralizes them, but the decay products destroy the organ.
3. Parasites. By consuming unprocessed fish, you can become infected with trematodes. They parasitize the bile ducts, feeding on blood and bile, causing inflammation. Without treatment for a long time, cell mutation starts.
4. Hemochromatosis, iron overload . It is possible through the fault of the person himself if he takes vitamin and mineral complexes without consulting a doctor.
5. Birth control pills. They contain a lot of estrogen, which can cause a benign tumor to appear. In this case, there will also be a risk of its transformation into a malignant tumor.
6. Medicines. Even herbal medicines create additional stress on the liver. Antibiotics are also hepatoxic. Therefore, the amount of medication you take directly affects your liver health.
7. Hereditary predisposition. According to statistics, cancer develops more often in those whose relatives have already encountered it. However, the mechanisms of inheritance of pathology have not been sufficiently studied.

This is interesting: Metastatic liver cancer (secondary): causes, symptoms, treatment and prognosis

Symptoms and signs

In the early stages, there are no signs and symptoms of cancer. That’s why so often people see a doctor only when the chances of cure are already low.

Nonspecific signs of liver cancer include weight loss, poor health, and nausea. Specific symptoms are jaundice, hepatomegaly, ascites, internal bleeding, but they occur only at stages III or IV.

The liver is involved in digestion, digesting food and neutralizing toxins. The growing tumor prevents her from functioning normally. Digestion is impaired, and at an early stage, liver cancer can be suspected by:

• nausea, constipation or diarrhea;
• loss of appetite;
• severe fatigue, drowsiness;
• discomfort, heaviness in the hypochondrium;
• pain radiating to the back and shoulder blade;
• compaction under the ribs;
• yellowness of the skin, whites of the eyes.

Cancer also gives a high temperature with fever. This is how the immune system reacts to tumor cells, trying to destroy them on its own. Endocrine disorders (Cushing's syndrome) are possible, some noticeably lose weight already at the beginning of the disease.

In the later stages of cancer, malignant cells attack other parts of the body. The liver practically stops working, and at the same time blood circulation and other processes are disrupted. This causes the following symptoms:

• severe weight loss;
• exhaustion of the body - weakness, dizziness, fainting;
• constant pain;
• apathy and depression;
• swelling of the legs - can be so severe that they interfere with walking;
• ascites (edema of the abdomen);
• internal bleeding;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• skin hyperpigmentation.

However, these symptoms are also characteristic of other diseases. A diagnosis of liver cancer can only be made after an extensive examination.

Diagnosis of liver cancer at the first symptoms

Diagnosis of liver cancer is carried out using the following types of studies:

• Biopsy is the most reliable type of diagnosis. In most cases, the biopsy sample is taken by puncture, i.e., through a thin long needle. If histological examination confirms the presence of malignant cells, the diagnosis of liver cancer is considered confirmed;
• CT scan allows you to detect a tumor at the very beginning of its development, when the ultrasound machine does not yet see it. A CT scan may be performed using contrast to study the location of the tumor in more detail. Thanks to the images obtained as a result of the study, specialists can carefully study the structure and changes of the organ;
• Laparoscopy is a gentle and painless type of diagnosis, during which the doctor examines the abdominal cavity and the tumor itself through a special optical device, and also takes a piece of pathological tissue for examination;
• Laboratory blood tests - determining the level of alpha-fetoprotein. It is carried out not only at the stage of diagnosing oncopathology, but also during therapy to monitor the effectiveness of the therapy.

Israeli clinics, in addition to modern diagnostics and advanced treatment methods, are known for their affordable prices. Thus, cancer treatment in Israel will cost about a third less than in Western Europe, and almost twice as much as in America.

Stages of the disease

The stages of liver cancer are assessed according to three parameters: tumor volume (T), lymph node involvement (N), metastases (M):

1. Stage I – T1, N0, M0. There is only one tumor formation so far, no ingrowth into blood vessels. The lymph nodes are healthy, there are no metastases.
2. Stage II – T2, N0, M0. Several small or one large tumor appears, which grows into the walls of blood vessels. The cancer has not yet spread to the lymph nodes, there are no metastases.
3. Stage III – T3-4, N0-1, M0. The mass is already large, although it has not yet gone beyond the liver. It can grow into the portal vein. T4, N0, M0 – the tumor grows into the peritoneum, the outer wall of organs adjacent to the liver, T4, N1, M0 – into adjacent organs and lymph nodes.
4. Stage IV T1-4, N1-4, M1. Several groups of lymph nodes are affected, metastases have spread to at least one distant organ.

Main stages of liver cancer

In modern medical practice, there are stages of liver cancer, each of which has its own distinctive features. The size of the malignant neoplasm and the degree of its spread throughout the body are taken into account. There are stages:

• The first is characterized by the formation of a single tumor, without the involvement of blood vessels in the oncological process. However, its dimensions may vary.
• The second is characterized by damage to microcirculation vessels and the formation of several cancerous nodes. Their size, as a rule, does not exceed 5 centimeters in diameter.
• The third - it, in turn, is divided into additional subtypes:

1. 3A – multiple formation of malignant tumors that exceed 5 cm. In some cases, the hepatic and portal veins are affected.
2. 3B – the tumor begins to grow into neighboring organs (except the gallbladder) or into the outer lining of the liver. As a rule, the gastrointestinal tract is affected first.
3. 3C – this stage is characterized by metastasis of cancer cells to regional lymph nodes through the blood or lymph flow. Multiple formation of new malignant neoplasms is also observed.

• Fourth - this stage of liver cancer is characterized by the detection of metastases even in separated internal organs. It is often possible to diagnose the presence of metastases in the bones of the skeleton and spinal column. It is quite difficult to determine how long people with the last stage live, since it is difficult to treat and directly depends on the individual characteristics of the patient’s immune system.

How to identify liver cancer?

The doctor makes certain conclusions based on the patient’s symptoms, complaints, and examination. Palpation reveals an enlarged abdomen and ascites, and this is one of the signs of liver cancer.

A biopsy provides the most accurate diagnostic results. It consists in the fact that a specialist takes a piece of the liver and examines it for the presence of cancer cells. The following diagnostic methods are also used:

1. Blood tests for cancer - detect high levels of bilirubin and urobilin.
2. Ultrasound - provides detailed information about the tumor, its size, structure, malignancy. Using ultrasound, a puncture is performed without disturbing the skin. This makes it possible to differentiate liver cancer from diseases with similar symptoms.
3. CT. The patient drinks a contrast agent, which makes the contours of the organs clearer and allows the doctor to determine the boundaries and shape of the tumor. It is possible to determine how much cancer has affected not only the liver, but also the nearby vessels.
4. MRI. The patient is placed in a narrow tube, where the emitted radio waves are absorbed by the tissues of the body. Thanks to this, a picture showing the tumor is displayed on the monitor.

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Stages and grades of liver cancer

Liver cancer stage I

At this stage of the disease, the tumor has just formed and has not had time to penetrate the vessels. Its size may vary. But in general, stage I tumors affect no more than a quarter of the liver. This is largely why it is so difficult to diagnose cancer at this stage. All symptoms are mild, the patient may complain of weakness and fatigue. In addition, a stage I malignant tumor does not interfere with the normal functioning of the liver. It is often detected when other diseases are suspected. But during the examination, cancer is confirmed.

If you managed to diagnose the disease at stage I, this is a great success. The treatment will be most effective and the likelihood of positive dynamics will be greater. Therefore, patients who are at risk, for example, patients with viral hepatitis, alcohol abusers, smokers, are recommended to undergo examinations as often as possible to detect liver cancer cells.

Liver cancer stage II

At this stage, the tumor increases in size and penetrates the blood vessels. Symptoms of the disease are more pronounced. The patient may periodically experience pain in the abdominal area during physical activity. Malignant tumors take different forms.

Liver cancer stage III

It is divided into several stages. The first of them is designated 3A in medicine and implies that the tumor has managed to affect the hepatic or portal vein. There may be several malignant formations at this stage, each of them being significant in size. Thanks to this, a specialist can diagnose liver cancer through an examination. After all, a large tumor leads to compactions that are noticeable externally.

At stage 3B, the connection of malignant cells with organs located next to the liver occurs. The only exception is the bladder. Another option is also possible, when the tumor attaches to the outer lining of the liver.

If malignant cells have affected not only the organ itself, but also the lymph nodes, this indicates that stage 3C has occurred. In this case, the tumor also affects other organs of the body.

Liver cancer stage IV

This stage is considered the most difficult among all possible. The tumor has already managed not only to affect most of the liver, but has also spread as metastases throughout the body, affecting other organs. This happens through the bloodstream.

The maximum life expectancy for patients with stage IV liver cancer is 5 years. However, such cases are rare. Most often, with rapid progression of the disease, death occurs after a few months.

Effective treatment of liver cancer at this stage is almost impossible. Doctors only try to prolong the patient’s life by maintaining the functioning of the body’s systems longer and slowing down the proliferation of malignant tumor cells, which occurs uncontrollably. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used for this. Surgical intervention at stage IV cancer is already pointless.

It is often diagnosed during the patient’s initial visit to the doctor. This is due to the asymptomatic development of the tumor. It begins to bother the patient only in the final stages, when it is no longer possible to help him.

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How to treat liver cancer?

When liver cancer is detected, treatment is required immediately. At the initial stages, operations are effective:

1. If it is still stage I, resection and removal of a section of the liver is possible. Most of it will remain and will gradually recover, but the entire tumor will be eliminated.
2. Another technique is hemihepatectomy, in which half of the affected liver is cut out. The remaining part will be able to perform all functions until the organ regenerates.
3. Indications for liver transplantation for cancer are several nodes or damage to more than 70% of the organ. However, if the tumor grows into the abdominal cavity or metastases, transplantation is no longer possible.
4. If general anesthesia is intolerable, instead of surgery, they resort to radiofrequency ablation - the destruction of cancer cells with radio waves. Several procedures are required.

A course of chemotherapy is prescribed to destroy cancer cells. To avoid the rapid development of addiction to chemical drugs, they are administered by infusion through the hepatic artery. This way the medicine reaches the affected organ without affecting others. Possible hair loss, nausea with vomiting, bleeding, lethargy. Therefore, patients are prescribed enzymes that reduce the severity of adverse effects.

Diet

Diet is extremely important for those with cancer. It should be balanced and gentle on the liver.

Healthy foods:

• cereals (millet, rice, buckwheat);
• vegetables and fruits;
• dairy products;
• beet and carrot juices.

It is recommended to prepare liquid porridges. Milk soups with cereals and vegetables are healthy.

Little by little you can:

• lean meat and fish (veal, chicken, pike perch, cod);
• cottage cheese;
• butter;
• eggs;
• tea.

It is useful to sometimes eat herring and sauerkraut. These foods improve appetite, which is a problem in cancer patients.

It is prohibited to use:

• alcohol;
• hot spices;
• pickles and marinades;
• canned food;
• coffee;
• soda;
• fat meat;
• sugar;
• margarine.

Food should be boiled, steamed, baked and stewed, but absolutely not fried. You should eat little by little, but often.

If you really want sweets, sometimes you can eat marshmallows and marmalade instead of cakes. If you have swelling, you should drink less water and avoid salt. Vomiting, on the contrary, requires more fluid.

Traditional methods of treatment

No folk remedies can cure cancer. However, nothing prevents you from consuming herbs and natural juices in addition to the treatment course, especially since they are tasty and healthy. Several recipes:

1. Boil the oats over low heat, strain, and drink the resulting liquid every day before meals.
2. Stir a spoonful of honey into a glass of watermelon juice and drink several times a day. An alternative is 2 glasses of birch sap.
3. Add propolis to boiling butter and keep on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring. There is 1 tbsp. l several times a day.

This is interesting: Nutrition for liver cancer: foods allowed and prohibited by the diet

Complications

Any stage of liver cancer is fraught with complications. The most common of them:

1. Suppuration and decay of the tumor body. The patient is weak, has a fever, has no appetite and has severe stomach pain. Ultrasound shows pus and a vague outline of tumor formation.
2. Intra-abdominal bleeding. Develops in 15% of cases when liver cancer reaches the terminal stage. Risks death from shock and blood loss.
3. Endocrine disorders. They occur because mutated cells produce excessive amounts of hormone-like substances.
4. Extensive metastasis. Develops at the terminal stage. Mutated cells penetrate the esophagus, ribs, and vertebrae.

Liver cancer: symptoms and manifestations, prognosis

Currently, malignant liver disease has become more common. This can be explained by the high percentage of people suffering from chronic viral hepatitis. When liver cancer occurs, uncontrolled cell division occurs (renewal of the liver body) and they do not have time to reach maturity. It turns out that the tumor can change in size (grow).

Signs of emerging liver cancer in women and men:

The main symptoms in the early stage are similar in men and women, they do not resemble signs of cancer. The patient feels that he has a bloated stomach, weight loss, a feeling of nausea, periodic vomiting, a dulled feeling of hunger, low-grade fever, intestinal dysfunction, fatigue and apathy. In a more advanced form, symptoms of obstructive jaundice appear. Symptoms of jaundice are yellowing of the skin and eyeballs, stool becomes light and urine becomes dark, and constant pain in the liver area. In extreme stages, there may be internal bleeding and fluid accumulation in the peritoneum.

Prevention and prognosis for liver cancer

No one can say for sure how long they live with cancer. The prognosis is influenced by the size, number of tumors, and metastases. With one node, more than half of the patients survive, with two - only a third. If there are several nodes, a maximum of 18% of patients have a chance to live another 5 years.

With early diagnosis, and in practice this is very rare, the prognosis is favorable - more than 75% of patients live 5 years or longer. In later stages, metastasis occurs rapidly and you can die within months. The traumatic nature of the operation is also significant - the lower it is, the better the prognosis.

Prevention measures are aimed at eliminating factors that provoke cell mutations. Necessary:

1. Quit cigarettes and alcohol.
2. Eat properly.
3. Get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
4. Use personal protective equipment when in contact with harmful chemicals.
5. If you have a family history of cancer patients, go to a hepatologist once a year, have your blood tested and undergo a medical examination.