Fatal Liver Cancer Its Causes And Symptoms
The liver is responsible for the continuous filtering of blood flowing into the body, and it converts nutrients and drugs that are absorbed into the digestive system into chemicals ready for use.The liver has other important functions, including removing toxins and other chemicals from the blood and converting them into secretions.
It is easy for cancer cells to reach the liver, as all of the blood flowing through the body passes through it.
It is possible for the liver to develop primary cancer in which it forms itself, or to cancer that develops elsewhere in the body and then transmits to the liver.
In most cases, liver cancer is secondary or metastatic (metastasis cancer), meaning that the source of the tumor is located elsewhere in the body.
Worldwide, primary cancer in the liver affects men twice as much as in women, which is the most common cancer among men and affects most people over the age of 50.
The liver consists of many types of cells, so there are several tumors that can affect it.
Some of the tumors are benign (benign tumor), while the other is a malignant tumor (Cancerous), which can be transmitted/spread to other parts of the body.
Different tumors develop for various reasons and are treated in different ways. The chances of a cure depend on the type of tumor.
Benign liver tumors
The most common benign liver tumors are:- Hemangioma
- Adenoma in the liver
- Focal tumor-like process
- Cyst
- Leiomyoma
- Lymphoma
- Fibroma
Treating these tumors differs from treating cancerous tumors.
Sometimes, when they cause pain or bleeding, they need to be surgically removed.
Types of liver cancer
The types of liver cancer are:- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Cancer of the gallbladder ducts (the source of this cancer is the gallbladder duct, which we will not discuss in this context).
Causes and risk factors for liver cancer
Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma - Hepatocellular carcinoma) - usually affects people who suffer from:- Congenital malformations in the liver
- People who drink too much alcohol
- People with chronic infection, stemming from diseases such as Jaundice type B and C, hemochromatosis - and liver cirrhosis (Cirrhosis).
- More than 50% of people with primary liver cancer also have cirrhosis (a scar in the liver, usually caused by excessive alcohol consumption, jaundice B and C and hemochromatosis, diseases that can cause irreversible damage and liver failure).
- People with a genetic disease, hemochromatosis, which is manifested by a lack of large amounts of iron, are at high risk of developing liver cancer.
Carcinogens that cause liver cancer
Many carcinogens are among the most important causes of primary liver cancer, among them:- Some herbicides
- Some chemicals such as vinyl chloride and Arsenic
- Smoking, especially when associated with excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages
- Alpha toxin - a carcinogen toxin, produced by a certain type of mold (fungi) - may also cause this disease. Alpha toxin is sometimes found in wheat, pistachios, rice, corn, and soybeans.
Other risk factors:
- The gender of the patient
- the weight
- Use anabolic steroids (Anabolic steroids).
- Diagnosed with liver cancer
- It is not followed to perform sweeping radiography examinations for all patients in order to early detection of primary liver cancer, but it is possible to examine the possibility of performing these exams for persons most at risk, with a high degree.
- Despite this, research has not been able to determine whether radiography is appropriate and effective for all patients.
People at high risk of developing the disease are addicted to drinking alcohol and have chronic jaundice.
Additional checks:
Blood tests:These tests measure tumor markers (signs) - substances that elevate blood levels in liver cancer, which can help determine the diagnosis.
Liver cancer secretes a substance called alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, α-fetoprotein), which is generally found in fetuses and disappears at birth.
Ultrasound examination:
It is the first examination that is generally performed because it is possible to detect tumors with a size of 1 cm.
Computerized tomography (CT - Computed tomography) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI - Magnetic resonance imaging):
These tests may reveal existing tumors and help to classify and scale them, but they often give false-positive results.
Biopsy:
It is the only test capable of distinguishing between benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors.
Laparoscopy is a successful examination to detect small tumors, to determine the circumference of cirrhosis in the liver, or biopsy, and so on.
Laparoscopy or ultrasound scan (ultrasound scan) during surgery.
Liver cancer treatment
All types of liver cancer are among the hardest to treat.In a few cases, the primary cancer is detected in the liver at an early stage - the stage for which the chances of treatment are good.
Also, it is difficult to treat secondary liver cancer or metastases, another cancer that has spread to the liver, because in this case cancer has spread and has spread.
Moreover, the complex networks of blood vessels and gallbladder channels in the liver make surgery difficult. Liver cancer treatment is based on improving the patient's feelings and trying to prolong his life.
Tumors detected in the early stages can be removed with surgery.
The patients who discover the tumor in the initial stages with the greatest chances of recovery.
Unfortunately, in most cases of liver cancer, surgery cannot be performed, either because the cancer is in an advanced stage, or because the injury is very severe, which prevents it from being able to withstand surgery.
In certain cases, tumors can be reduced in size by Chemotherapy, which can then be removed by surgery.
Sometimes this same process can be done with ethanol, rather than chemotherapy.
There is no evidence that postoperative chemotherapy increases the patient's chances of survival.
Patients who have been successfully treated, and their disease regress to a state of remission, should remain under close monitoring and follow-up, to ensure that the disease does not recur.
Cryotherapy:
A therapeutic method in which the tumor is frozen and ironed by radio wave energy (RFA) with the aim of killing the tumor, a method that can be used in certain cases of liver cancer.Radiotherapy:
These treatments can be implemented in several ways, but they have limitations, due to the reduced ability of the liver to tolerate radiation.Radiation is used to relieve symptoms outside the liver or to relieve pain in the liver, by reducing the tumor.
In embolization, chemotherapy or radiotherapy is used to stop the supply of the tumor with blood.
This method can be used to treat large-size tumors.
Liver transplant:
It is a preserved option for treating both patients with liver cancer and cirrhosis. There is a high risk in this process, but it also has chances to recover.
Advanced liver cancer includes the use of a single treatment in a concentrated manner.
The cancer spread and pain relief can sometimes be stopped by using chemotherapy and radiation therapy at low doses.
However, the efficacy of this type of treatment for this cancer is low.
Most patients receive a combination of strong pain relievers and medications to relieve nausea and bloating or to improve appetite.
Sorafenib is the first to achieve a significant improvement in the overall condition of patients with advanced liver cancer, and it is not possible to treat them with chemotherapy.
People with advanced liver cancer can choose to join clinical research examining modern treatments.
This research includes freezing tumor cells with the goal of annihilating them, using biological agents, such as Interferon or Interleukin 2, with the goal of stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells, using artificial proteins specially formulated to exterminate specific tumors.
