Concept of cancer liver
Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is a cancer that arises from the liver. It is also called primary cancer or hepatoma. Liver cancer is one of the cancer is the most dangerous disease and currently medicine has no cure for this disease.< /p>
Liver cancer in the early stages is often difficult to detect. Most patients come to the doctor when the disease has progressed to a late stage, making treatment difficult.
Staging can help determine the extent of cancer metastasis outside the liver and What treatments can be used? The stages of liver cancer are based on the size of the tumor (T) that has spread to lymph nodes (N) and the spread to other parts of the body (M).
– T (tumor): describes the size and invasion to adjacent organs/areas of the tumor with numbers from 1 to 4.
– N (node): describes the degree of metastasis of the disease to the adjacent lymph node system/other regions in the body with numbers from 0 to 3.
– M (metastasis): tissue Describe whether the cancer has metastasized to one/or other organs of the body with the numbers 0 or 1.
What does stage 4 liver cancer mean?< /em>
Stage 4 liver cancer is diagnosed when the disease has spread beyond the liver and into other organs and/or lymph nodes.
Stage 4A: The tumor has spread to lymph nodes but has not spread to distant organs.
Stage 4B: The tumor may or may not have spread to lymph nodes and has metastasized to organs distant organs.
Symptoms of stage 4 liver cancer
In the early stages of liver cancer, the patient may not have any symptoms. Furthermore, liver cancer signs and symptoms are not always directly related to the stage of the cancer.
Some signs and symptoms of liver cancer may include:
– Abdominal pain.
– Ascites.< /p>
– Loss of appetite.
– Feeling full only after eating a little (early satiety).
– Fluid in the stomach.
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– Itching all over the body.
– Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).
– Enlarged liver.
– Sadness vomiting vomiting.
– Pain in the right shoulder blade.
– Spleen enlargement.
– Unintended weight loss.
In some cases a liver tumor can start producing hormones. Those hormones can cause signs and symptoms outside the liver and affect other organs and systems in the body. These may include:
– Gynecomastia enlarged breasts in men.
– Erythrocytosis: High levels of red blood cells.
– High cholesterol.
– Hypercalcemia: Increased calcium can lead to confusion, nausea or weakness or cause constipation or muscle problems.
– Hypoglycemia : Low blood sugar can cause fatigue or fainting.
Causes of liver cancer
Some risk factors include may contribute to the development of liver cancer. It is estimated that 40% of liver cancer is related to hepatitis B 40% to hepatitis C 11% to alcohol consumption and 10% to other causes.
Cirrhosis< /em>
Damage to the liver that leads to scarring is called cirrhosis. It is believed that cirrhosis is always associated with heavy alcohol consumption but there are many other reasons why cirrhosis can develop.
Hepatitis B or C infection non-alcoholic fatty liver disease hereditary liver autoimmune hepatitis chronic heart failure long-term use of certain medications and liver diseases such as primary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis are also possible reasons scarring occurs in the liver.
It is important to remember that although cirrhosis is a risk factor for liver cancer, not everyone with cirrhosis will develop cancer.
< em>Hepatitis B
Long-term hepatitis B virus infection is a risk factor for liver cancer. The risk of developing liver cancer may be 12 times higher in people with hepatitis B. The disease can lead to liver cancer without the presence of cirrhosis.
Inflammation Hepatitis C
Long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus can also lead to liver cancer in the absence of cirrhosis. The risk of liver cancer may be nine times higher in people with chronic hepatitis C
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
NAFLD tends to occur more often in people with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 who have type 2 diabetes with higher levels of fat in the blood or metabolic syndrome. This cause of liver cancer is increasing in the United States and may affect up to 25% of adults.
Conditions
Some Other conditions that affect the bile ducts and liver may also put you at risk of developing liver cancer. These include Wilson’s disease alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency hemoglobinopathy glycogen storage disease primary cholangitis porphyria and tyrosinemia.
Aflatoxin
Aflatoxin is a cancer-causing fungal toxin. They are created by fungi that grow on some crops including corn, peanuts, tree nuts…
Methods to diagnose stage 4 liver cancer
Diagnosis of liver cancer is made after a physical examination and using many other tests. Ultrasound can help doctors detect abnormalities in the liver.
For accurate diagnosis other tests are necessary. Patients are prescribed computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast to determine diagnosis and stage.
Blood tests will include: liver function tests to determine how well the liver is working and to screen for alpha-fetoprotein, a tumor marker often linked to liver cancer. A liver biopsy may be performed in which a portion of liver tissue is removed to examine for evidence of disease.
Stage 4 Liver Cancer Treatment
Stage 4 liver cancer cannot be cured. However, treatment can help control symptoms and its progression.
Treatment of stage 4 liver cancer will depend greatly on the stage of the cancer and the person’s health. have cancer.
Medication
Stage 4 liver cancer is an advanced form of cancer and therefore only certain treatments are available can be specified. For example, a liver transplant is usually not an option for stage 4. Surgery to remove parts of the liver (such as a partial hepatectomy) will also not be an option for stage 4 disease.< /p>
In most cases the therapy provided will include medication along with treatments that help reduce pain symptoms.
A type of cancer therapy Stage 4 liver cancer is the use of drugs that activate the patient’s immune system. This is called immunotherapy. The first line of treatment for stage 4 liver cancer may include Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab).
If the first drug option is not effective or is not an option Some other drugs that can be used include Nexavar (sorafenib) and Lenvima (lenvatinib) Stivarga (regorafenib) and Cabometyx (cabozantinib)…
Radiation therapy
< p>The use of high-energy particles is another potential treatment for stage 4 liver cancer. Two types that may be used are external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and stereotactic radiotherapy Stem stereotaxy (SBRT).
EBRT is similar to an X-ray treatment that lasts a few minutes but may need to be repeated daily for weeks. SBRT is a treatment technique that has been recently developed and may help preserve healthy liver tissue.
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