Liver Cancer Symptoms and Diagnosis that Should be Noticed
Liver cancer symptoms - Generally people with early-stage liver cancer do not feel the symptoms that mean. New symptoms will be seen clearly at an advanced stage. However, the following symptoms can be controlled as a symptom of liver cancer :
- Feeling very tired and limp
- Abdominal pain
- Itching
- Liver organ swell
- Feel nausea and vomiting
- Ascites or fluid buildup in the abdomen. Belly looks bloated
- Limbs swelled due to a buildup of fluid
- Decrease weight without cause
- The skin and the white part of the eye that is yellowing
- Dark colored urine
- The stool is white like chalk
Liver cancer symptoms are above indeed common and not always be a marker of liver cancer, but still it is better to do the examination. Try to consult a doctor if you experience one or more of the symptoms above including people who once suffered from cirrhosis or hepatitis-infected.
People who are more at risk of severe liver cancer need to undergo the examination at regular intervals. Tell them the symptoms you are feeling and when you start to feel it on the doctors. If it reasonably requires further examination, the doctor will refer you to a specialist.
A number of supporting examination may be necessary, one being to ascertain whether the right there are cancer cells in the liver organ as well as whether the cancer cells came from the other organs of the body (secondary liver cancer) or primary liver cancer. In addition inspection is carried out to find out how big lumps of cancer in the liver and how large the area its spread. It is necessary to know how many patients were in the stadium. Thus the doctor will get an overview of the condition and function of the organ of the heart, its influence on the health of the patient, as well as to decide the proper handling.
Generally, you will undergo the following examinations:
Monitoring for the detection of liver cancer symptoms are intensively
If you belong to a high-risk group of people that suffered from cancer of the liver such as cirrhosis sufferers, it is recommended to perform periodical checks every six months.
The examination usually through two stages, namely, blood tests and ultrasound (ultrasound). The blood test used to detect the presence or absence of a protein in the blood called Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). More than half of primary liver cancer patients produce this protein in their blood. In addition, ultrasonography or ultrasound is performed to find out which organ abnormalities in the liver.
Supporting Further Examination
In addition to the ultrasound and detection of AFP through a blood test, the doctor can use a variety of other supporting examination for the diagnosis of liver cancer, namely:
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Display your liver organ retrieval using magnetic fields and radio waves.
- CT scan. Your inner organs will be photographed by x-rays.
- Biopsy. Your liver tissue sample to be taken with a needle. This example will then be tested in the laboratory to detect cancerous cells.
- Laparoscopy. Run by making a small scratch on the belly so that a flexible camera called an endoscope can be inserted to check your heart. The test run with the total for anesthesia.
However, you may not need to use all kinds of tests to make sure of the diagnosis.
Developmental stages of liver cancer
The ranking system Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) divide the five developmental stages of liver cancer as follows:
Stadium O: patient still in healthy condition and his heart is functioning properly, but the tumor is less than 2 cm in diameter.
Stadium A: patients in a healthy condition and his heart is functioning normally. But it has grown a tumor diameter is less than 5 cm, or three or more tumor with a diameter less than 3 cm.
Stadium B: there are several tumors in the liver, but not affect the function of the heart.
Stadium C: cancer has started to spread into the blood vessels, into the surrounding lymph node or other parts of the body. The people with not-so-healthy heart function and does not work so well.
Stadium D: symptoms start showing people with the end-stage liver disease, such as a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Hearts have lost most of the capabilities of its current status.
If you are experiencing liver cancer symptoms should immediately consult with a doctor to make sure your condition. An early examination can hamper the growth of cancer cells with the right handling.