The liver is the largest glandular organ in our human body, it performs several vital functions in order to keep the human body free from toxins and other harmful substances. It is located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen right below the ribs. The main function of the liver is to produce bile, a substance that helps the human body digest vitamins, fats, and other important nutrients. It even helps in storing nutrients like glucose, so that when the person is on a fast or not eating it breaks down the glucose into vital substances for the survival of the human body. Liver cancer or hepatic cancer is cancer that occurs in the Liver. When it happens it destroys all the liver cells in the liver and interferes with the performance of the liver.
Liver cancer:
Liver cancer is basically classified into two types:
- Primary type liver cancer
- Secondary type liver cancer
Primary type liver cancer:
Primary type liver cancer happens when the cells of the liver get attacked by the cancer cells. And then the liver cells start destroying the whole liver slowly.
Secondary type liver cancer:
Secondary type liver cancer happens when the cancer cells from another organ of the human body to the liver.
Primary liver cancer again has different types, such as:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Liver angiosarcoma
- Hepatoblastoma
In this article, we will learn about the warning signs and symptoms of liver cancer.
Signs of Liver cancer and symptoms:
In the early stages, there is a high probability that you might not see any symptoms or warning signs of liver cancer. However, over time the patient or even the doctor sometimes can see or feel the symptoms in the recipient’s body as the tumor grows. Sometimes till the liver cancer is found out by the patient or the doctors it would have turn into metastatic liver cancer. And the survival rate of metastatic liver cancer is pretty low, unfortunately. The symptoms of the primary type liver cancer and secondary type liver cancer are almost similar.
How to diagnose liver cancer and other liver diseases?
The diagnosis of liver cancer starts with a medical history and physical examination. The diagnostic procedure of liver cancer includes the following:
- Liver Biopsy
- Liver function tests
- Presence of AFP alpha-fetoprotein in the blood
- CT and MRI of the abdominal area
Who are at the risk of getting Liver cancer?
While doctors are not sure about why people get liver cancer, there are certain factors that can eventually lead to liver cancer.
- Hepatic cancer is common among people who are above 50 years. People of this age can even get liver diseases apart from liver cancer.
- A person who is suffering from Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C is more likely to get liver cancer than others. As Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C is highly infectious and can spread easily, people who got in contact with these patients also have a high risk of getting liver cancer.
- Consuming more than the recommended amount of alcohol every day for several years can make you pray for liver cancer and liver diseases.
- Liver cirrhosis is one of the forms of liver damage, in this liver cirrhosis, the healthy tissue of the liver is replaced by the scarred tissue. Liver cirrhosis is mainly caused due to high alcohol abuse and suffering from hepatitis B or hepatitis C for a long time.
- High exposure to aflatoxin can eventually lead to liver diseases and hepatic cancer. This Aflatoxin is found a lot in peanuts, grains, and corn. Try to include these in your diet as per the dietary recommendations.
- People who are obese, overweight, and diabetic are more likely to get liver functioning problems and hepatic cancer than others, it is important to watch your weight and maintain proper health.
Warning signs of Liver cancer:
The symptoms of Liver cancer may vary from one person to another person, and some of these symptoms may be caused due to some other conditions. Though it is a fact that the symptoms and signs of hepatic cancer are seen at later stages rather than the early stage, however, some people might experience these signs at a really early stage. Some of the common early signs of liver cancer are:
- Severe pain in the right side of the upper abdomen
- Pain near the right shoulder blade
- Swelling in the abdomen and bloating which later develops into a large mass
- The enlarged liver which is felt under the ribs on the right side
- Jaundice
Some other warning signs and symptoms of liver cancer also includes:
- Fever
- Dark-colored urine
- Pale or chalky stools
- Fatigue
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Weakness
- Poor appetite
- Unintentional and unexplained weight loss
- Vomiting
- Nauseous
- Enlarged spleen felt under the right rib
- Feeling full after eating a small quantity
Read Also: 11 Essential Vitamins and Minerals for a Long and Healthy Life
Some of these signs and symptoms are caused by other types of liver diseases and infections. However, in the case of hepatic cancer, these above-mentioned symptoms may worsen as the tumor inside them grows bigger in size. If a person notices potential symptoms then it is highly advised that they should consult a liver cancer surgery doctor immediately.
