The liver in our body is involved in many processes and plays an important role. This type of oncology takes 7th place among tumors in frequency of occurrence and 3rd place in mortality. Two forms of the disease can be distinguished:
- Primary (arises directly from liver cells).
- Secondary (occurs due to the spread of metastases from another primary lesion). By the frequency of occurrence, this form is more common than the first by 20%.
In this article, we will examine in detail this disease - liver cancer, - its symptoms, causes and treatment.
What can lead to the development of liver cancer?
- Viral hepatitis B.
- An excess of iron compounds in the body, as well as syphilis, parasitic lesions of the liver, cholelithiasis.
- Cirrhosis of the liver leads to cancer in 60-90% of cases.
- The presence of aflotoxins.
- A metabolic problem, in particular a disease such as diabetes.
- Alcohol addiction, smoking, contact with carcinogens.
- Anabolic steroid.
- Birth control drugs.
How to recognize a disease?
Signs of liver cancer have the following:
- lethargy, fatigue;
- jaundice (yellowish tint of the skin and protein of the eyes);
- a sensation of swelling in the liver (or an increase in the abdomen);
- swelling of the legs, lower back;
- nosebleeds;
- pain in the lower back, upper abdomen and right hypochondrium;
- nausea, vomiting;
- fever;
- bowel disorders, flatulence, diarrhea;
- weight loss;
- ascites (in the later stages).
The presence of these symptoms may indicate that liver cancer is possible. Signs in the early stages may resemble a usual malaise, but if you have decreased or completely no appetite for several months, you suffer from abdominal pain, and you are rapidly losing weight, then you should consult a doctor.
How can cancer be diagnosed?
Diagnosing liver cancer is a complex process. It includes the following procedures: ultrasound, MRI, CT, angiography, laparoscopy, biopsy, blood analysis.
Stages of liver cancer
Four stages of the disease are distinguished:
- I - a single tumor in the liver that does not affect the blood vessels.
- II - the presence of several tumors or blood vessels are affected.
- III - is divided into subspecies. Subspecies A - several tumors larger than five centimeters, affecting parts of the vein, B - the tumor has passed to the external part of the liver and other organs, except the gall bladder, C - metastases in the spine and on the ribs.
- Stage IV disease - cancerous cells spread throughout the body.
Liver cancer treatment
The most effective method of getting rid of a disease such as liver cancer, the signs of which we examined earlier, is surgical. But it is used if there is a tumor of small size and it is isolated. This can only be determined by opening the abdominal cavity. But even after surgery, the patient will be able to live only three to five years. In the later stages of the disease, only symptomatic treatment is used. Chemotherapy in this case is ineffective. People diagnosed with liver cancer should be closely monitored. A feature of oncology of this organ is too active development. With a diagnosis of liver cancer, life expectancy will depend on the stage of the disease.