Liver Cancer

Initially, the liver cancer symptoms might not be visible at all. The patient will start witnessing some of the symptoms after the liver begins to swell. However, that there can be other reasons apart from liver cancer that can cause swelling in the liver. Below mentioned are a few symptoms that you might feel if liver cancer has been detected.

• Unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Swelling or fluid build-up in the abdominal area
• Jaundice
• An enlarged liver
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Itching

It is advisable that you undergo a diagnosis and let the physician interpret the results.

Several causes contribute towards liver cancer. Some of the causes are listed below.

• Cirrhosis is a condition where the liver cells are damaged and replaced with scar tissues. People with this health condition develop higher chances of liver cancer.
• Hepatitis B infection
• NASH or non alcoholic steatohepatitis.
• Family history can also be the cause in some cases
• Alcohol abuse and smoking
• Prolonged use of anabolic steroids can significantly increase the risk of developing liver cancer
• Aflatoxins are substance made by a fungus and are found in mouldy wheat, groundnuts, corn, nuts, soybeans, and peanuts. Excess intake of these substances may lead to a tumour in liver

Best liver cancer hospitals in India state that the disease can be broadly categorized into five types: All these types of liver cancers are serious and have a tendency to recur.

HCC or hepatoma is the most common type of liver cancer. In most cases, it occurs because of hepatitis B or C. Cirrhosis of the liver caused due to alcohol abuse is another reason.

This is a rare type of Liver cancer and more responsive to treatments.It typically occurs in young adults between the ages of 20 to 40 without any gender predilection. Unlike, Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), Fibrolamellar HCC does not have any association with cirrhosis, hepatitis or alcoholism.

This type of liver cancer occurs in the bile ducts of liver, resulting in intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct cancer. It accounts for 10-20% of all liver cancers.

It starts in the blood vessels of the liver and proliferates. It is diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Experienced liver cancer doctors in India use two broad treatment options viz. transplant and non-transplant options.

Liver transplant is a surgical treatment option where the entire liver is replaced by a healthy one through surgery. It is an extensive process and is divided into two types:

• Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation (DDLT):

In this case, diseased liver of the patient is replaced with a healthy liver from a donor who has died recently. To avail DDLT, a patient has to go through a number of tests for the doctors to determine if the patient is fit for transplant. Once the tests are through, patients get enrolled in the waiting list for the liver transplant.

• Living Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT):

In this case, the patient with a diseased liver receives a part of liver from family or a friend. Patient’s damaged liver is replaced with the healthy one, which eventuallygrows on later to its normal size. It is the preferred transplant option where the patient needs immediate transplantation and a DDLT is not feasible.

• Radiofrequency Ablation:

Also known as RFA, it is a non-transplant surgical option used to kill cancerous cells. It is a minimally invasive medical procedure which is performed using local anesthesia.This treatment employsimage guidance to place a needle through the skin into a liver tumor.Using a probe, a high-frequency electrical current is passed through the needle which creates heat to destroy the cancer cells. RFA has a high success rate and is the recommended treatment option where surgery is not feasible.

• Partial Hepatectomy:

An entire part of the liver is removed, ranging from a smaller section to an entire lobe.

TARE- Trans arterial radioembolization and EBRT or SBRT- External beam radiotherapy or Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

This is a rare liver cancer treatment method wherein 100 percent pure ethanol is injected into a tumour to destroy it. This treatment works best in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma or primary liver cancer. Interventional radiologists inject ethanol through the skin into the tumor with the help of ultrasound or CT guidance. The ethanol causes the destruction of the tumor by drawing out water (dehydrating) from the tumor cells which alter the structure of cellular proteins. By denaturing the structure of tumor cells, ethanol injections work effectively in treating some cancers.

At Max Hospital we have the best cancer doctors in Delhi who specializes in treating liver cancer with all transplant and non-transplant options including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, percutaneous ehtanol injection etc.

After a successful liver cancer treatment, you too can live a normal life and resume your daily activities. It is important to follow the directions given by your doctor. Post-treatment, the patient is required to make healthy choices and efforts to stay fit. It will indeed take some time for the patient to recover completely both physically and mentally. Here are a few things that can help the patient in recovering fast.

• Take adequate rest and give some time for self
• Do not include tasks in your work routine that require strenuous efforts from your end.
• Avoid it for at least some time post the treatment
• Socialize more, it will help in making you feel better
• Exercise regularly, but moderation should be the key
• Start having a healthy diet with lots of green vegetables and avoid junk food
• In case of discomfort, visit the physician at the earliest