Small liver tumors are difficult to detect during examination health because most of the liver is covered by the right rib cage. By the time the tumor can be felt it may already be quite large.
At this point no screening test liver cancer is widely recommended in people at average risk. But the test can may be recommended for certain people at higher risk.
So Can liver cancer or malignant liver tumor be cured? The answer is yes. Malignant liver tumor is usually treatable but it can be difficult to treat. Malignant liver tumors can start in the liver (primary) or spread from somewhere else (secondary). Treatment for primary and secondary liver cancer is similar.
The specific treatment you have will depend on:
– The size and type of liver cancer you have.
– Tumor location.
– Whether the tumor has spread.
– General health situation.
Possible treatment for malignant liver tumors includes chemotherapy surgery that uses heat to destroy cancer (radiofrequency tumor ablation) using targeted drugs and radiation therapy…
Surgery</p >
According to NHS.uk, if a malignant liver tumor is detected early and is small and has not spread, you can have surgery to remove it. Surgery will remove part or all of it If your entire liver is removed, you will need a liver transplant to replace your liver with a donated liver.
Recovery from liver cancer surgery can take a long time. time.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. For malignant liver tumors, chemotherapy is often used injected into the blood vessels supplying blood to the tumor to prevent cancer from growing.
Usually you will receive chemotherapy to shrink the tumor or to control and improve symptoms. This is done if you cannot have surgery.
Local tumor destruction
This is a modern method that helps destroy cancerous tissue without surgery. The general mechanism is to use heat or substances that cause cancer cell death: radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave (MWA), percutaneous absolute alcohol injection (PEI) and cryotherapy.
< p>This method is often indicated for small tumors (< 3cm) often done under the guidance of imaging diagnostic tools, especially ultrasound.
Targeted treatment hit the target
This method is often indicated when the above treatment methods are no longer indicated. There are many types of targeted therapy drugs currently in use or being researched and developed.
Radiation therapy
Currently there are several types of Radiotherapy is being researched and applied such as: radiotherapy using Yttrium radioactive microspheres – 90 proton radiotherapy…
Signs and symptoms of malignant liver tumors
Having one or more of the symptoms below does not mean you have liver cancer. In fact, many of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by other medical conditions. However if you have any of these symptoms it is important to be checked by a doctor to find the cause and get treatment if needed.
Signs and symptoms of malignant liver tumors usually do not manifest until later stages of the disease but they can sometimes manifest earlier. If you see your doctor when you first notice symptoms your cancer may be diagnosed earlier when treatment is likely to be most helpful.
Some common symptoms The most common symptoms of malignant liver tumors are:
– Weight loss.
– Loss of appetite.
– Feeling very full after a small meal.< /p>
– Nausea or vomiting.
– Enlarged liver feels full under the right ribs.
– Enlarged spleen feels full under left ribs.
– Pain in the abdomen or near the right shoulder blade.
– Swelling or fluid buildup in the abdomen.
– Itching .
– Yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Other symptoms may include fever veins on the abdomen visible through the skin and unusual bleeding or bruising .
People with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis may feel worse than usual or may only have changes in the results of laboratory tests such as function tests. liver function or alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels.
Some liver tumors make hormones that act on organs other than the liver. These hormones can cause:
– High blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia) which can cause nausea, confusion, constipation, weakness or muscle problems.
< p>- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can cause fatigue or fainting.
– Breast enlargement (gynecomastia) and/or testicular shrinkage in men .
– High red blood cell count can make someone look red.
– High cholesterol.
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