Liver Cancer
Enlarged liver and mass
What is liver cancer?
Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor originating in the liver cells or intrahepatic bile duct cells, that is common and usually arises in the liver with a history of cirrhosis. The incidence of primary liver cancer peaks in the fourth to fifth decades of life. It is more common in male patients with liver cancer, with a male: female ratio of 2~5:1.
What is liver cancer?
The main causes leading to liver cancer are the frequency of heavy drinking and/or chronic infection with HCV (hepatitis C virus) or HBV. They can cause an alcoholic hepatitis and viral hepatitis, and may result in liver cirrhosis after many years. The cirrhosis is an important risk factor for the primary liver cancer. Other factors leading to liver cancer may include: long-term consumption of moldy foods, such as moldy corn and peanuts, which contain Aspergillus flavus; Contaminated drinking water, for example, algal toxins produced by blue-green algae pollute the water; Cancer-causing chemicals, e.g. Nitrosamines, Organochlorine pesticides.
Liver cancer symptoms
Liver pain is often as the first complaint in more than half of patients with liver cancer. Its presenting features are upper right abdominal pain or lower back pain, which may associated with radiating pain in your right shoulder, if the liver cancer involves your diaphragm.
Other symptoms including: General symptoms - fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, abdominal distension,; Severe symptoms - nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea; Late symptoms - anemia, jaundice, fluid in the abdominal cavity, lower extremity edema, subcutaneous bleeding, cachexia.
Enlarged liver cancer
Enlarged liver is the most common sign in middle, advanced stages of liver cancer. accounting for 95 percent of cases. Sometimes, the enlargement of the liver or a liver mass is also as the first complaint, which is palpated by many patients themselves. The enlarged liver is mainly seen in types of a huge liver cancer, multiple liver cancers, and diffuse liver cancers. These types of liver cancer lead to localized enlarged liver, in which the liver is characterized by irregular swelling, hardness, uneven liver surface.
Enlarged liver diagnosis
The medical history of alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, or liver cirrhosis is very important clue for diagnosis of liver cancer. The diagnostic measures, including: Laboratory findings, CT scan, MR scan, Angiography, Liver biopsy, Tumormarkers (AFP) test.
Large liver cancer treatment
If the cause of enlarged liver is a huge cancerous mass, treatment measures will be selected:
- Surgical removal is the main, preferred measure.
- Hepatic artery ligation, infusion chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is the adjuvant or palliative treatment methods.
- Interventional treatment is a recommended method for huge liver cancer.
- There are many ways to shrink the large liver cancer.
- If the mass return to smaller size, the opportunities of surgical removal will increase.
See also
- Viral hepatitis and Contagious
Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, caused by hepatitis viruses; Is viral hepatitis contagious? - Alcoholic liver disease Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is a major reason for alcoholic liver disease, which includes alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis.
- Cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis is an advanced condition of liver diseases characterized by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative multinodular lumps, which are formed by replacement of the normal liver architecture and cells.