10 Important Things To Know About Liver Cancer

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10 Important Things To Know About Liver Cancer
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• The liver plays an important role in the body
  because all blood in the system passes through
  it. While acting as a filter for blood, it has
  several functions, including eliminating toxins
  and converting nutrients into useful forms.

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• When cancer cells are in the blood, the liver is
  an easy target for infestation. As a result, many
  people acquire liver cancer metastatically after
  it spreads from other areas, although it can also
  originate in the liver itself.

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Nutrition

• As with all illnesses, it is important to
  maintain a healthy eating plan to help during
  treatment and recovery. Getting adequate vitamins
  and minerals is accomplished best through food,
  and patients must meet caloric needs with a
  balanced diet.

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• When nausea and vomiting prevent challenges, a
  dietician or health care provider can help by
  providing suggestions and advice on how to remain
  healthy through nutrition. Weight and energy
  levels are often monitored and accessed.

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Prognosis

• The outcome of liver cancer depends largely on if
  the cancer is treatable and what that treatment
  involves. Other factors include how widespread
  the disease is within the body, the size and
  number of tumors, and the health of the liver and
  surrounding abdominal tissues.

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• According to the American Cancer Society, there
  is a fifteen percent average five-year survival
  rate for all stages of the disease. This number
  varies among patients and the stage of their
  cancer.

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Pain Control

• Liver cancer and its subsequent surgery or
  therapy may cause pain, so it is important to use
  safe measures to manage any discomfort.
  Medication upon a doctors advice can help, and
  although side effects include fatigue and
  constipation, they can be remedied.

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• Radiation acts to reduce the cancer and therefore
  can minimize pain. Injections of alcohol can help
  manage pain by blocking nerve function in the
  abdomen. Natural methods include relaxation,
  massage, and acupuncture.

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Alternative Treatments

• In the medical field, there are not yet any
  naturopathic treatments approved, but some
  complementary therapies might help patients
  undergoing conventional options.

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• Acupuncture has been shown to help with side
  effects like nausea and vomiting. Milk thistle is
  a herb with a history linked to liver health and
  mistletoe has been used as an herbal remedy.
  Caution should be made to preparations using
  alcohol and Ginko Biloba.

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Treatment

• Treatment options depend on the stage of the
  cancer and the health of the patients liver.
  Surgery can remove a tumor if it is small and can
  have risks. A liver transplant is necessary when
  a small tumor is not able to be removed, and the
  liver is severely scarred.

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• Ablation therapy is the process of killing cancer
  cells by heat, laser, or specific substances and
  embolization denies cancer of blood needed
  for its survival. Other therapies are radiation
  and chemotherapy.

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Stages

• Staging of liver cancer is based on how much the
  disease has spread. Liver cancer has the
  potential of spreading to the lungs, bones, and
  lymph nodes.

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• If it does, and a new tumor affects another area,
  it does not take on a new name because the
  abnormal cells are the same cancerous ones found
  in the liver. Instead, it is called metastatic
  liver cancer and treated in a similar way. Tests
  determine if cancer has spread.

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Diagnosis

• When symptoms arise, proper diagnosis can be made
  and is accomplished in several different manners.
  Blood tests measure the levels of
  alfa-fetoprotein and des-gamma-carboxy
  prothrombin, both of which, if elevated, are
  cause for concern.

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• CT scans and MRIs allow doctors to see any
  abnormalities through medical imaging. A biopsy
  involves examination of a small sample of the
  suspicious tissue, but comes with the risk of
  bleeding, infection, and spreading of potentially
  infected cells.

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Symptoms

• Symptoms of liver cancer are similar to other
  conditions, so it is important to see a doctor
  for proper diagnosis.

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• Often in the early stages, symptoms are not
  present, but later they include abdominal pain,
  bloating, a lump, a full feeling like after
  consuming a large meal, weight loss, fatigue,
  weakness, nausea and vomiting, jaundice,
  light-colored feces, dark urine, and fever. These
  symptoms can lead to serious conditions, and
  early diagnosis of liver cancer is critical.

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Risk Factors

• Maintaining good health and taking preventative
  measures helps reduce the risk of liver cancer,
  but there are several risk factors and the more a
  person has, the greater the chances of developing
  the disease.

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• They include long-term infection of hepatitis B
  or C, excessive use of alcohol, diabetes, storing
  too much iron, cirrhosis, obesity, and aflatoxin.
  A study on mice in 2014 found triclosan, found in
  soap and detergent, caused liver cancer in the
  lab animals.

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Benign and Malignant

• Abnormal growths in the liver are categorized as
  benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous).
  Benign rarely pose a threat, typically do not
  need to be treated, and can be removed.

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• They include hemangioma, hepatic adenoma, focal
  nodular hyperplasia, cysts, lipoma, fibroma, and
  leiomyoma. Malignant liver cancer includes
  hepatocellular carcinoma, primary liver cancer,
  and cholangiocarcinoma, cancer affecting the bile
  duct).

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• Hepatoblastoma are rare childhood malignant
  tumors. Malignant tumors are categorized as
  primary and secondary.

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