Liver Cancer - Symptoms and prevention

LiverCancer is a disease in which cancerous cells gradually form in your Liver. The common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer is not always completely curable but the treatments and precautions can be very effective if it starts in early stages.

What causes Liver Cancer?

The cause of liver cancer is unknown if there are no underlying conditions already, however when the liver cells change in a person’s DNA, liver cancer cells can start to form as a cell’s DNA provides all the instructions for every chemical process in a person’s body.

Common Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Loss of appetite

White pasty Stool

Unwanted Weight Loss

Body Weakness

Fatigue

Abdomen pain , swelling

Tiredness

Early Prevention of Liver Cancer

Vaccination against Hepatitis B

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Balanced Diet

Regular Checkups

Weight Management

Types of Liver Cancer

Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Forms in the tissue of Liver. It is the most common type.

Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer) - Cholangiocarcinoma occurs in the ducts of the liver that drains the bile juice from going to the small intestine.

 Metastatic Liver Cancer - This is not exactly Liver Cancer , It occurs when the cancer cells of the body from elsewhere spreads to the liver .

Stages of Liver Cancer

Early diagnosis is the key. The doctor will first determine if the cancerous cells are spread and how far , this is called Staging. It describes how much cancer is in the body which helps to decide how serious it is.

Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging System is one system which is most commonly used by experts to plan the treatment

 This System separates liver cancer into 4 stages

Stage 0 - Most Early

Stage A - Early

Stage B - Halfway

Stage C - Final

Stage 0 - Most Early

One tumor was detected and cancer did not spread.

Stage A - Early

One tumor was detected but cancer started to spread.

Stage B - Halfway

3.1 - More than one tumor is present larger than 5 cm and the cancer started to spread close by.

         3.2 - One or more tumors of any size have started to spread in close by organs other than Gallbladder , or maybe have started to break through the lining of the peritoneal cavity.

3.3 - Liver tumors are now also present in Lymph Nodes.

Stage C - Final

Liver Cancerous Cells now present in Various organs such as bones or lungs and also can be found in the lymph nodes.

Types of Liver cancer Treatment

SURGERY

Liver Transplant Surgery

Liver Transplant surgery can happen in early stages of Liver cancer, in which the doctor removes the diseased Liver from a healthy liver given by the donor.

Tumor Removal Surgery

Tumor removal surgery is a process of removing the infected area of your liver with the good tissue surrounded, if the tumor is small and the liver functions well

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses strong high energy such as X-Rays and protons to shrink tumors and destroy cancerous cells from the liver carefully , sparing the surroundings healthy tissue.

LOCAL TREATMENT

Heating Cancer Cells

Doctors basically uses heat to destroy Cancerous cells of the liver

2 TYPES WHICH IS USED TO DESTROY AND TREAT LIVER CANCER:

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA)

Microwave Ablation (MWA)

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy involves the treatment option using extremely cold temperatures released by liquid nitrogen to kill cancerous cells. The goal of Cryotherapy is to increase the lifespan of a liver cancer patient. It is not a permanent cure.

Injecting alcohol in the tumor

It is the process of Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) a process where basically concentrated ethanol is injected into your tumor which makes the cancer cells dehydrated and causes them to die.

Injection of Chemotherapy drugs into liver

It is a type of chemotherapy in which it uses Chemoembolization technique to inject strong anti-cancer drugs into the liver.

Embolization

It is a therapy of injecting small spheres with radiation that may be directly injected into your liver where the radiation can be delivered directly to the tumor.

COST OF LIVER CANCER IN INDIA

Cost of liver cancer in India based on different factors such as stage, complexity , current health , facilities and location of the hospital

The average cost of treatment for liver cancer in India is approximately 3 to 25 lakh rupees depending on the stage. Liver transplant can cost Rs. 3 to 40 lakhs or even higher.

TOP 5 HOSPITALS IN INDIA FOR LIVER CANCER

Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon

Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon

Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai

Manipal Hospitals Dwarka, Delhi

Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi

Risks & Downside of Liver Cancer Treatment

There are many risks and potential side effects of Liver Cancer Treatment such as fatigue, nausea , vomiting and some long term effects like nerve damage or dysfunction & Pain and infection at the incision site.

Post Surgery Recovery

After liver cancer treatment it is important to maintain a healthy balanced diet , avoiding the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and contaminated food and toxins which are not good for your liver. Exercising or a slight stretch daily could be very helpful in your recovery routine. Meanwhile, consistency is the key for maintaining good health.

Conclusion

We are living in a world backed with high technology and specialized doctors where there is treatment for every disease , but as said prevention is better than cure , we should always maintain a balanced diet and exercising regularly would be really helpful in maintaining our fitness and preventing us from diseases.