Liver Cancer

Liver cancer commonly comes from a liver that is malfunctioning and has disease. Bile ducts are part of the cells that make up the liver, along with fat storing cells and blood vessels.

This cancer type also occurs when there is cancer in other body areas, and ends up within the liver cells. Hepatitis B and C both play a role in the cause of liver cancers since these diseases have a genetic role in people.

Symtomatology

Stomach pains are very common. This is usually signifying a large tumor.

Weight Loss that suddenly occurs for no reason at all is common

Fevers are often another warning sign

Ascites, (abdominal fluid build-up) often occurs

Jaundice appearance of the skin. This is the most frequent.

The cancer can block your portal vein. The portal vein is very large and is responsible for transportation of blood to the liver from your intestine and spleen. As this is beginning to occur, your blood will get into other areas that have less resistance such as esophageal veins which causes too much pressure. You are then at risk for bleeding out.

What the doctor will look at

The doctor will feel around on your abdomen all over for tenderness and enlargement of the stomach, (distended). When the doctor listens with a stethoscope, he or she will hear bruits called a hepatic bruit. This is suspect for liver cancer since the bruit is not in people without a problem in the liver.

Sometimes a problem is evident to a doctor by looking back in a patient's eyes. The eye areas will show jaundiced areas, indicating trouble.

If the cancer has progressed to advanced stages, the tumor will also get into other body tissues through blood vessels called metastasis. Tumors will block veins that are supposed to help drain your liver. When this problem happens, you will experience a congestion.

It is not uncommon for this cancer type to get into your lungs via your bloodstream. This can be seen through an x-ray, otherwise most people don't realize this is where the cancer has also spread.
Pancreatic cancer is often tied in with liver cancers.

Diagnosis

There is no reliable blood test for liver cancer that will for sure tell that the problem is of the liver. The only sure way to tell is through a biopsy. Please watch the video on this below and the next video on a new promising treatment using a robotic procedure to kill cancerous tumors.

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