LIVER CANCER SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT
Liver Cancer Symptoms and Treatment
Do you know, Liver is the largest organ in the body system, weighting around 1500 grams approximately! Liver performs number of vital functions such as; it filters harmful substances from the blood, digests the fats from the food and stores the sugar that your body uses for energy.
Worldwide, liver cancer is the most common type of cancer. Liver cancer is the cancer, which begins in the cells of your liver. Liver cancer can be divided into two types. i.e. primary(non-cancerous) and metastatic(cancerous) liver cancer. The main difference between the both is - primary liver cancer develops in the liver itself, whereas, the metastatic liver cancer caused due to the cancerous cells which break from the primary cancerous tumors of the other parts of the body and enter into the liver, which leads to metastatic tumors.
Usually, primary cancer develops in other parts of the body through the blood stream. In some cases, it also spreads to the surrounding tissue by a local extension. As the liver performs the filtering function, the majority of the blood from different organs enters the liver. However, in this process, the liver becomes an easy victim to the cancerous cells.
Symptoms of Liver Cancer
Most of the people with a liver cancer do not have any signs and symptoms in the early stage of the primary cancer. If the symptoms do appear in some cases, they may include.
1. Without trying, losing of weight
2. Upper abdominal pain
3. Enlarged liver
4. Loss of appetite
5. Vomiting and nausea
6. Abdominal swelling
7. Yellow discoloration of skin and white of skin i.e. jaundice
8. Fatigue and general weakness
Treatments for Liver Cancer
Treatment for the primary liver cancer depends on the size, location, over all health status, extend of disease and your age. However, the main aim of any treatment is to eliminate the cancer. If not possible, they may aim at preventing the tumor from growing or spreading. Following are the treatment options for liver cancer. It may include.
Liver transplant surgery:-
In this liver transplant surgery, your defected liver is removed and replaced with a healthy liver from a liver donor. It can be done in the early stage of liver cancer only.
Surgery To Remove A Small Part (A Portion Of The Liver):-
In this case, your doctor may recommend a partial hepatectomy to remove the liver cancer, if your liver is small and functioning properly.
Freezing Cancer Cells:-
In this condition, Cryoablation uses extreme cold to destroy the caner cells from body. During cryoablation, your doctor places an instrument containing liquid nitrogen directly on the liver tumors. To guide the cryoprobe and monitor the freezing images, ultra sound images are used. It is the only treatment, which can be used with surgery, chemotherapy, or other standard treatments.
Heating Cancer Cells:-
This procedure is known as radiofrequency ablation. In this process, an electric current is used to heat and destroy the cancer cells. With the aid of ultra sound or the CT scan, your doctor can insert thin needles into the small incision in your abdomen. When the needles reach to the tumor, they are heated with an electric current and resulting in destroying the cancer cells.
Injecting An Alcohol:-
During the alcohol injection process, pure alcohol is injected directly into the tumors. Alcohol dries out the cancerous cells and eventually resulting in killing the cells.
Injecting A Chemotherapy Drugs :-
Chemotherapy is a procedure of treatment through which strong anti cancer drugs are directly supplied into the liver. During the therapy, the hepatic artery from which the liver gets its blood supply is blocked and chemotherapy drugs are injected between the blockage and the liver.
Radiation Therapy:-
Radiation therapy uses a high-powered energy radiation beams to destroy the cancer cells and shrink the tumors. The side effects of the radiation therapy may include vomiting, fatigue and nausea.
Targeted Drug Therapy:-
Sorafenib is the targeted drug therapy. It is designed to interfere with a tumors ability to generate new blood vessels. Sorafenib has shown to slow or stop advanced liver cancer from progressing.
Alternative Treatments:-
Alternative treatments, which may help you to control your pain or cope up with it, are.
1. Listening to music
2. Massage
3. Deep breathing
4. Acupressure
If your find any of the above symptoms of liver cancer, do consult your doctor for an effective treatment. If you consult your doctor, at least it will give you a peace of mind that you have done everything which was possible.
Do you know, Liver is the largest organ in the body system, weighting around 1500 grams approximately! Liver performs number of vital functions such as; it filters harmful substances from the blood, digests the fats from the food and stores the sugar that your body uses for energy.
Worldwide, liver cancer is the most common type of cancer. Liver cancer is the cancer, which begins in the cells of your liver. Liver cancer can be divided into two types. i.e. primary(non-cancerous) and metastatic(cancerous) liver cancer. The main difference between the both is - primary liver cancer develops in the liver itself, whereas, the metastatic liver cancer caused due to the cancerous cells which break from the primary cancerous tumors of the other parts of the body and enter into the liver, which leads to metastatic tumors.
Usually, primary cancer develops in other parts of the body through the blood stream. In some cases, it also spreads to the surrounding tissue by a local extension. As the liver performs the filtering function, the majority of the blood from different organs enters the liver. However, in this process, the liver becomes an easy victim to the cancerous cells.
Symptoms of Liver Cancer
Most of the people with a liver cancer do not have any signs and symptoms in the early stage of the primary cancer. If the symptoms do appear in some cases, they may include.
1. Without trying, losing of weight
2. Upper abdominal pain
3. Enlarged liver
4. Loss of appetite
5. Vomiting and nausea
6. Abdominal swelling
7. Yellow discoloration of skin and white of skin i.e. jaundice
8. Fatigue and general weakness
Treatments for Liver Cancer
Treatment for the primary liver cancer depends on the size, location, over all health status, extend of disease and your age. However, the main aim of any treatment is to eliminate the cancer. If not possible, they may aim at preventing the tumor from growing or spreading. Following are the treatment options for liver cancer. It may include.
Liver transplant surgery:-
In this liver transplant surgery, your defected liver is removed and replaced with a healthy liver from a liver donor. It can be done in the early stage of liver cancer only.
Surgery To Remove A Small Part (A Portion Of The Liver):-
In this case, your doctor may recommend a partial hepatectomy to remove the liver cancer, if your liver is small and functioning properly.
Freezing Cancer Cells:-
In this condition, Cryoablation uses extreme cold to destroy the caner cells from body. During cryoablation, your doctor places an instrument containing liquid nitrogen directly on the liver tumors. To guide the cryoprobe and monitor the freezing images, ultra sound images are used. It is the only treatment, which can be used with surgery, chemotherapy, or other standard treatments.
Heating Cancer Cells:-
This procedure is known as radiofrequency ablation. In this process, an electric current is used to heat and destroy the cancer cells. With the aid of ultra sound or the CT scan, your doctor can insert thin needles into the small incision in your abdomen. When the needles reach to the tumor, they are heated with an electric current and resulting in destroying the cancer cells.
Injecting An Alcohol:-
During the alcohol injection process, pure alcohol is injected directly into the tumors. Alcohol dries out the cancerous cells and eventually resulting in killing the cells.
Injecting A Chemotherapy Drugs :-
Chemotherapy is a procedure of treatment through which strong anti cancer drugs are directly supplied into the liver. During the therapy, the hepatic artery from which the liver gets its blood supply is blocked and chemotherapy drugs are injected between the blockage and the liver.
Radiation Therapy:-
Radiation therapy uses a high-powered energy radiation beams to destroy the cancer cells and shrink the tumors. The side effects of the radiation therapy may include vomiting, fatigue and nausea.
Targeted Drug Therapy:-
Sorafenib is the targeted drug therapy. It is designed to interfere with a tumors ability to generate new blood vessels. Sorafenib has shown to slow or stop advanced liver cancer from progressing.
Alternative Treatments:-
Alternative treatments, which may help you to control your pain or cope up with it, are.
1. Listening to music
2. Massage
3. Deep breathing
4. Acupressure
If your find any of the above symptoms of liver cancer, do consult your doctor for an effective treatment. If you consult your doctor, at least it will give you a peace of mind that you have done everything which was possible.
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