Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is an abnormal growth of cells (tumor) in the liver that is cancerous (malignant). The liver is located on the upper right side of the abdomen, just below the ribs. It is the largest organ in the body. The liver:
• Breaks down and stores nutrients, such as sugar and iron.
• Makes the parts of your blood that help your blood clot and prevent excessive bleeding.
• Cleans (filters) alcohol, drugs and harmful substances out of the blood.
• Helps absorb fats and other nutrients.
CAUSES
The exact cause of this condition is not known.
RISK FACTORS
This condition is more likely to develop in:
• Males.
• Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
• People with scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis may
…show more content…
• Smoking.
• People with certain liver diseases, such as Wilson disease.
• People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
• People with diabetes.
• People who are overweight.
• People who are exposed to aflatoxins. These are substances made be certain types of mold that grow on food products, such as corn and peanuts.
• People who are exposed to Vinyl chloride. This chemical is used to make certain plastics.
• People who use anabolic steroids. This is a hormone that is used to increase muscle mass.
• People who drink water that has been contaminated with arsenic.
• People who have a disease called schistosomiasis.
SYMPTOMS
This condition often causes few or no symptoms in the beginning. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:
• Weight loss without dieting.
• Loss of appetite.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Feeling itchy.
• A hard lump or mass under your ribs.
• Abnormal bruising or bleeding.
• Feeling very weak and tired.
• Pain on the right side of your abdomen, shoulder blade, or back.
• Feeling full after eating a small amount.
• Abdominal bloating.
• Fever.
• Skin or eyes that look yellow in color (jaundice).
• Dark-colored
…show more content…
DIAGNOSIS
This condition is diagnosed with a medical history and physical exam. You may also have tests, including:
• Blood tests.
• Imaging tests, such as a:
○ CT scan.
○ MRI.
○ Ultrasound.
○ Angiogram. This is a type of x-ray that uses dye.
○ Bone scan.
• Laparoscopy. This is when your health care provider uses a small, lighted camera (laparoscope) to look at your liver and other organs.
• Examination of a tissue sample (biopsy) from your liver.
If liver cancer is confirmed, it will be staged to determine its severity and extent. Staging is an assessment of:
• The size of the tumor.
• If the cancer has spread.
• Where the cancer has spread.
TREATMENT
Treatment for liver cancer depends on the type and stage of the cancer, how well your liver is working, and your overall health. Treatment may include one or more of the following:
• Surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Sometimes the whole liver is removed and replaced with a healthy liver (liver transplant).
• Chemotherapy. This uses medicines to kill the cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy. This treatment targets specific parts of cancer cells and the area around them to block the growth and spread of the
Since prevention is the most significant cancer preventing tool, it is essential that cancer be discovered as soon as possible prior to infecting the whole body. The symptoms of cancer will depend based on the location, size, and how greatly it influences the organs or tissues. If a cancer cell has extended over large area of the body, then symptoms will definitely appear in various parts of the body. When a cancer
Several tests can be run once symptoms are noticed to earmark the disease with a proper diagnosis. Some of the tests include; a biopsy of the tumor, X-rays, a CT scan, a skeletal survey, bone scans or bone marrow aspiration (fluid sample) and biopsy (tissue sample). Once diagnosed, the treatments begin to hinder any advancement the cancer would or could make. Possibly removing the cancer completely through surgery is a possibility, while others include chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and bone marrow transplantation. Many times these treatments can be used concurrently with one another.
There are many different type of cancers, there are also many different types of treatments. One of the most known types of treatments would be chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can be used for a wide range of different types of cancers and diseases, and each of the different types of cancers or diseases require a different group, and sometimes order, of chemicals to properly treat the cancer or disease. These chemicals include: Alkylating agents, Antimetabolites, Anthracyclines, Topoisomerase inhibitors, mitotic inhibitors, corticosteroids, and more. Each of these drugs previously listed have its own cancer type(s) or disease(s) that it can assist in treating. Some of these cancers include: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, multiple
If glioma is confirmed, it will be staged to determine its severity and extent. Staging is an assessment of:
Once the doctor has determined what stage of cancer you have then a course of treatment can be discussed. If you are diagnosed early enough the Doctors can perform and surgery called the Whipple procedure. It involves removing the head of the pancreas, a portion of your small intestine, gall bladder, part of the bile duct, and part of your stomach. The doctor then reconnects what left of your stomach, pancreas, and intestines so you can digest food. Side effects of this surgery can include risk of infection and bleeding, as well as some nausea and vomiting. There will be a long recovery after this procedure. Other forms of treatment are Radiation therapy, which uses x-rays to destroy cancer cells, and chemotherapy, which uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. There are also ongoing clinical trials, which look for new treatments. If the
Treatments for breast cancer can vary depending on the aggression/stage of the cancer. Treatments for breast cancer usually involves some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and/or targeted therapy: treatments depend on the cancer stage and the characteristics of the tumor (Susan G. Komen, 2015). Breast cancer treatment plans
is done for this type of tumor is to treat the symptoms and palliative care of the
Propelled malignancy is growth that has spread to far off parts of your body. This can incorporate your liver, brain or bones. Treatment relies on upon your general wellbeing and how best in class the growth is. It might be conceivable to hold the tumor under control by surgery or chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can both help control side effects by contracting a disease with the goal that it doesn't bring about weight and torment and moderates its development. This is called palliative treatment.
* Chemotherapy: Using special medicines or drugs to shrink or kill the cancer, Drugs include pills or IV. (Maybe both)
Metastatic disease may be an incidental finding in asymptomatic patients. It may present with nonspecific symptoms such as malaise or weight loss, and it may present with symptoms and signs related to the metastatic site as dyspnea, lymph node enlargement, bone tenderness, or signs of increased intracranial tension.
There is no cure for multiple myeloma. Treatment options may vary depending on how much the disease has advanced. Possible treatment options may include:
Surgery is the oldest type of treatment for cancer. In its earlier use, surgery was not as successful as it is today. This was due to the difficulties involved with the anesthesias, excessive blood loss,
The treatment that the physician recommends depends on how advanced the cancer is. In many cases, doctors will recommend more than one treatment. Below is a list of some of the treatments available:
Liver cancer usually does not have any symptoms in its early stages and can be difficult to detect. Nevertheless, liver cancer can be detected by imaging tests. Some of the tests used to diagnose liver cancer are Ultrasound, Computed tomography (CT scan), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan), Biopsy and Laparoscopy. Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to generate a picture of the body and is used to show any abnormal growths in the liver. The CT scan is an x-ray test that produces detailed images of the body. This test can be very useful in precisely identifying liver tumors. The MRI also creates detailed images, but uses radio waves and
Several methods such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have been used to treat cancers. The cancer patients who are not helped