The frequency of oncological diseases in recent years has been growing with alarming speed. Knowing how such diseases manifest themselves, one can suspect that something is wrong and seek help from a doctor, because it is in the initial stage that it is easiest to cope with a malignant neoplasm. Focusing on what the early symptoms of liver cancer are, you can save your life and minimize its quality in the future. Consider how this terrible disease manifests itself, as you can see, when any abnormalities occur, you should go to the doctor.
general information
In the liver, a malignant neoplasm is one of two types:
The first option is a tumor formed from organ cells, the second is metastases that penetrated here from other tissues affected by malignant processes. Medical statistics show that if symptoms, manifestations of liver cancer became the reason for going to the doctor, most likely it is a secondary pathology - its occurrence is ten times higher. It is in the liver that metastases are most often detected if a malignant neoplasm has developed somewhere in the body. This is due to the physiological functions of the body, especially its blood supply.
What to look for?
Symptoms of liver cancer at an early stage are almost invisible, so patients rarely consult a doctor on time. The clinical picture is very poorly expressed, and the disease progresses at high speed. Even if the patient comes to the clinic for examination, it is very difficult to identify the cause of the complaints - the symptoms are nonspecific, so it is extremely difficult to determine what caused them. There are many cases when it was possible to make a diagnosis only at the last stage of the disease - the picture was so blurred earlier, while the patient was observed by doctors for quite some time.
Typically, the patient's attention manifestations, symptoms of liver cancer attract a couple of months after the onset of the disease. The very first signs rarely cause concern, many take them for deviations caused by lifestyle or age. Of every three patients, two complain of abdominal pain and weight loss. With cancer, the appetite disappears. More than 50% of all patients independently, without specific diagnostics, understand that the liver has become larger in size. This is due to a bursting sensation, pursuing in the area under the ribs on the right.
Know the enemy in person
The described symptoms and signs of liver cancer in the early stages of the disease are characteristic of many other pathologies. Most often, the disease is confused with:
- gallstones
- exacerbations of chronic pathologies;
- cholecystitis;
- cholangitis.
Only when the neoplasm reaches a very large size, do specific symptoms appear that allow you to accurately diagnose oncology. At the same time, the liver has already been increased in size so much that it squeezes nearby structures - this is what becomes the main reason to suspect cancer.
Manifestations: what to look for?
The first symptoms, signs of liver cancer include:
- lethargy;
- weakness;
- decreased performance;
- fatigue;
- an increase in the size of the abdomen;
- nosebleeds;
- nausea, vomiting
- tendency to edema;
- jaundice.
Many patients note an increase in temperature, impaired stool. Oncology is often accompanied by anemia. Up to half of all patients who came to the hospital with the first symptoms of liver cancer complained of a pulling pain syndrome occurring under the ribs on the right. Sometimes pain is given to the lower back. Such a syndrome does not bother continuously, but appears from time to time, more often during walking, with physical activity, activity. With the progression of the disease, the pain becomes permanent, the strength is assessed as moderate.
If the first symptoms of liver cancer are left unattended and the pathology progresses, the functionality of the organ is impaired. Bile is not processed by liver cells; instead, the substance is released into the intestinal tract. This causes a change in the color of the skin and mucous membranes to yellowish, in some cases, bright yellow. The skin begins to itch and dry, it is worried by dry mucous membranes, impaired stool. In some patients, low-grade fever is constantly maintained, in others the fever reaches 39 degrees. At first, the attacks are short-lived, over time they become more frequent and longer, at the last stage the fever does not subside in principle.
Secondary cancer
As medical statistics show, up to 90% of all cases of malignant organ damage are precisely secondary pathology, that is, metastases that come to the liver from other parts of the body. It is in the liver that they are most often observed - because of its functionality, the organ is highly susceptible to them. Signs, symptoms of liver cancer are more often observed if the malignant processes are colorectal or have affected the esophagus, mammary gland, pancreas. Manifestations are determined by what kind of disease was the primary, as well as the stage and features of the metastasis process.
Diagnosis: how to check?
If there is a suspicion of signs or symptoms of liver cancer, it is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner to clarify the condition. Primary diagnosis is a very difficult task, because at first the disease does not manifest itself with any special features unique to it. As a rule, you do not have to wait for a referral from a therapist, but you need to make an appointment with your oncologist yourself if you suspect a malignant tumor. Most doctors of other specialties do not have a high level of oncological alertness, even if they are really highly qualified specialists. The chances are particularly small that cancer will be suspected of nonspecific symptoms if a young patient comes to the reception. However, the problem is that not only professionals, but also ordinary people can rarely assume that cancer is the cause of the disturbing health problems.
As numerous medical records show, if weight loss becomes a symptom of liver cancer, the patient goes to the therapist, and for gastric pains, to the gastroenterologist. Sometimes patients visit other highly specialized doctors, but they go to the oncologist last. At the reception, the doctor interviews the patient, clarifies the features of life transferred before the pathology, appoints instrumental examinations, analyzes. The highest probability at this stage is to identify a malignant disease if all possible studies of biological fluids have been done.
When analyzing blood for biochemistry, you can see an overestimated concentration of liver enzymes, bilirubin. In urine, a high percentage of urobilin is determined. A symptom of liver cancer is an increase in the number of alpha-fetoprotein. You can identify it if you do an analysis of tumor markers, that is, protein structures produced by atypical cells.
Continuing Examination
Finding out what is the cause of the patient's complaints, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs. At the same time, doctors receive fairly detailed information about the state of the liver, which means they can detect foci of transformation, see how many there are, understand whether the pathology is benign or malignant. Experts examine the structure of the lesion, determine its dimensions and analyze the lymph nodes nearby for metastasis.
If the symptoms of liver cancer are confirmed, a preliminary diagnosis is made, the patient is referred for examination to a surgeon doing a puncture of the transformed zone. The procedure is performed using an ultrasound apparatus. An aimed fence of the biological tissues of the liver helps to obtain material for histological examination. At the same time, in the laboratory, they reveal what kind of process the process will have to deal with. The most complete collection of information helps to choose the appropriate course of chemotherapy.
It is known that more often symptoms of liver cancer appear in people suffering from chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis. To prevent the development and timely detection of the disease with such diagnoses, a full examination should be performed several times a year. Be sure to check if there are deviations in well-being.
Stage definition
Usually, the manifestations described above are the stronger the further the disease has developed, but there are many abnormal cases when even at 4 stages of liver cancer the symptoms were blurred, which made it difficult to formulate an accurate diagnosis. To understand what the matter is, the patient is prescribed CT and MRI. The first method proved to be effective when it is necessary to detect metastases in bone tissue. MRI allows you to get information about the condition of the abdominal organs. Tomography is a modern approach that provides complete information about the size of the neoplasm. After receiving images of the affected area, doctors can assess what is the percentage of success of the surgical intervention, how technically feasible it is, whether the vena cava, portal portal have suffered. Check whether the malignant processes affected the bile ducts. MRI is the most accurate method of confirming the fact that the process is malignant.
If health abnormalities are observed, suggesting that these are symptoms of liver cancer (in men, in women), while the patient is at risk for such a disease, you should insist on an examination to confirm or refute the assumption. Even slight changes should be the reason for a responsible examination. This is due to the non-specificity of the manifestations of the malignant process, poor chances of a successful outcome if the cancer is detected at a late stage.
It is known that the symptoms and signs of liver cancer in men are more common than in the fair sex. If we compare the statistics on liver tumors, in men there are nine malignant for one benign, and in women this ratio is six to four.
Risk group
The possible symptoms of early stage liver cancer in women and men are listed above. Particularly attentive should be to them people belonging to the category of increased danger due to illness. So, it is already clear that among the male half, pathology is more common than in women. In addition, medical studies have shown that the disease is wider among patients with:
- hemochromatosis;
- chronic liver pathologies;
- parasite infection;
- gallstones
- cirrhosis;
- hepatitis.
Up to 80% of all chronic hepatoma patients suffer hepatitis B. The risk of malignancy for men with a history of hepatitis is estimated to be 200 times higher than for women. From 60% to 90% of patients with cirrhosis experience malignancy.
Know who the symptoms of liver cancer appear in the first place, should persons who abuse alcohol, smokers, patients with syphilis. A certain risk is created by metabolic disorders in the body, diabetes mellitus, prolonged use of anabolic steroids. It is known that cancer is observed when aflatoxins enter the body with food. Finally, at risk are people who are exposed to external influences of carcinogenic factors. These are industrial substances, pesticides, herbicides, vinyl chloride, arsenic.
Leakage features
Symptoms, signs of liver cancer in women, men may include ascites. This is more characteristic of the late stage of the disease. Almost from the very beginning of the pathology, increased gas formation is disturbing. The digestive tract is disrupted, which causes weight loss.
In the initial stage, symptoms of liver cancer in women, men usually include a fever, dyspepsia. Patients complain of general malaise. Pain occurs occasionally, described as dull, the affected area aches. Up to 85% of patients lose weight for no apparent reason. Over time, liver failure is observed. Malfunctions in the functioning of the endocrine system.
The most pronounced symptoms of liver cancer in women, men, if the pathology developed on the background of cirrhosis. Pain quickly increases, ascites is observed, nosebleeds become more frequent. Pronounced jaundice progresses with high speed. Against the background of cirrhosis, a malignant neoplasm gives metastases especially quickly. Often the liver is affected by them (more and more foci), the lymphatic system, bones and other organs are additionally covered.
Check: everything is thorough
It has already been mentioned above: it is necessary to undergo examinations if there are suspicions of symptoms of liver cancer. Photos of oncologist jobs are often quite informative: you can immediately see that patients undergo CT and MRI. But some studies require specific conditions and are relatively rare - they are prescribed in especially difficult cases. For example, hepatography, scanning using radioisotopes and x-rays, which are done under special conditions, can be recommended. The abdominal region is preliminarily pumped with gases, which helps to reveal how much the bumpy liver is, to determine the peculiarities of localization of the affected areas.
An external examination is often performed using a laparoscope. This helps to obtain the most informative tissue samples for histological analysis.
What to do?
The main question of a person who has confirmed symptoms, signs of liver cancer: "How long do they live?" There is no definite answer to it - it all depends on the stage at which the disease is identified, the individual characteristics of the patient, the strength of his immunity, the ability to use modern medicines, devices. Much is determined by the qualifications, experience of the doctor. In some cases, resection can be used. The approach is optimal if the sites are small, isolated. Doctors open the abdominal cavity, assess the condition of the organ and decide on the possibility of surgery. If the disease is detected at a late stage, this approach will not show results, the only method available to doctors is the treatment of symptoms.
Liver metastases are treated surgically if growths are detected only in this organ. With this form of the disease, chemotherapy in the form of intravenous infusions does not show effectiveness. A distinctive feature of malignant processes in the liver is a rapid course. Usually, after surgery, patients live no more than five years, and if resection is not possible, the periods are estimated at only a few months.
If the disease is observed against a background of malignant neoplasms in other tissues and organs, the fourth stage of the pathology is recorded on the patient’s card. In such a situation, the only sensible approach is to stop unpleasant symptoms.
We reduce risks
To minimize the likelihood of the formation of malignant lesions in the liver, doctors advise:
- quit smoking;
- drink alcohol in reasonable doses;
- get hepatitis B vaccine;
- Do not use anabolic steroids, biological supplements with iron without having a medical condition.
When working in hazardous conditions, it is important to carefully observe safety rules. This is especially important for those who work in contact with chemical aggressive compounds.
The risk of malignant neoplasms is increased against the background of the uncontrolled use of hormonal contraceptives containing estrogen, so such drugs should be used only after prior consultation with the doctor. Under the influence of estrogen, benign tumors can form, for which there is a high risk of malignancy.
Step by step: disease progress
In the patient’s map, the doctor must indicate which stage of the pathology is detected. It makes sense to imagine what their difference is. The first, as mentioned above, is the easiest form that can be cured. If cancer is detected at this step, the probability of a successful outcome is greatest. Symptoms are weak, usually manifested only by fatigue, lethargy. The liver works fine, and people can easily attribute possible negative feelings to chronic illnesses or stress, or workload. Moreover, in the liver there is only a small sore area, the vessels are healthy.
The second stage is accompanied by damage to the blood vessels. The simultaneous formation of several foci is possible, each of which in size is no more than five centimeters.Remote areas of the lymphatic system, organs are not involved in the malignant process. The disease manifests itself as nausea and vomiting, painful sensations first appear. There may be stomach upsets and stool disorders for no apparent reason. The liver becomes denser, becomes larger in size, and the patient feels tired all the time.
Continuing the topic
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The last, most difficult stage is the fourth. The liver is affected by metastases, gradually malignant processes spread throughout the body, atypical cells spread through the circulatory system to distant parts of the body. The maximum life expectancy for such patients is five years, but in reality the period is usually much shorter. The disease is actively progressing, so a fatal outcome often occurs within a few months. Any modern approaches to the treatment of cancer in the fourth stage are ineffective. Current medical practice is such that measures are taken to slow the growth of atypical cells. External systems in the patient support life, use radiation therapy, chemotherapy.
Treatment without surgery
One of the modern approaches is radiofrequency ablation (RFA). A metal rod is placed through the skin into the diseased areas of the liver, through which the tumor is burned. In this case, harm is done to nearby healthy cells. RFA is applicable when the focus of pathological changes in diameter is 3 cm or less.
Another approach is chemotherapy. Doctors have access to fairly strong medicines, due to which the patient can live longer, and the quality of everyday life is slightly improved. Chemotherapy is indicated if surgery is not possible; metastasis has spread to various internal organs. Up to half of patients live two years or more with the correct use of drugs.
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACHE) is another method of treating a tumor without surgery. A catheter is inserted into the artery of the patient’s lower limb, gradually moving to the area of the malignant neoplasm. If the outbreak in size is no more than three centimeters, by means of TACHE it can be successfully removed. In this case, harm is also caused to the healthy cells surrounding the tumor, therefore, during the rehabilitation period, the patient has a fever for a long time, fever is observed, and pain is tormented.
Traditional medicine against cancer
Many healers of the liver are prepared to offer many healers and doctors. The most widely used herbs are those that help maintain the body's own defenses. True, hoping for a miracle is not worth it: before using such approaches, it is reasonable to consult a doctor so that alternative recipes do not interfere with the main treatment. Of course, it is unacceptable to abandon the approaches of classical medicine in favor of alternative medicine - only those patients who intelligently combine all available means and methods have certain hopes.
Propolis is used quite actively against malignant neoplasms. It is believed that this substance slows the growth of the neoplasm, prevents the division of atypical cells, activates the immune system and supports the strength of the patient's body. Ointments based on fungus spores can be used - the product is mixed with pre-warmed propolis, dressings are applied with the home remedy.
Another popular option is a hemlock tincture, used as a teaspoon food. It is believed that such a drug can cure even a hopeless patient.