Liver cancer is not uncommon these days, and it happens to affect a large number of the population. The most likely people who are on the verge of contracting this horrific disease don't have access to sanitized water or are alcoholic; nothing damages the liver cells as fast as alcohol does.
The liver is situated in the upper right portion of your abdomen, and cancer starts growing within the liver cells affecting other normal cells when the affected cells burst out. Cancer might originate from within your liver or travel from different parts of the body to affect the liver. There are various top hospitals in Bangalore that can help you with liver cancer treatment and recovery.
Types of liver tumors
Your liver is made up of various cells, and cancer is likely to affect any area in the liver, which is why there are multiple types of liver tumors out there. Some of these happen to be benign that are not cancerous and don't require surgery as these get easily tackled by medication. Whereas others are malignant, these are cancerous cells and can travel to other parts of the body. Every type of tumor has different treatment options, causes, and time of recovery, as well.
Common types of benign tumors include
- Hemangioma
- Hepatic adenoma
- Focal nodular hyperplasia
- Lipoma
- Fibroma
- Leiomyoma
As explained earlier, none of these tumors are treatable as liver cancer, medication is advisable for these, and they get easily dissolved or removed by the body. But in case of bleeding or severe pain, these tumors only respond to surgery. Liver cancer, on the other hand, include;
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma
Causes of liver cancer
- Various causes initiate liver cancer; some might feel like nothing, whereas others are more serious.
- Alcohol and drug abuse are the main events that set the path for cancer to occur; the liver performs detoxification of the body. Once its primary function gets compromised, the defense is extremely weak.
- If you have a chronic liver infection such as Hepatitis B or C, your liver is more likely to contract cancer. It happens if proper attention is not given, and no treatment is considerable for these diseases.
- People with Type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to contracting liver cancer, especially if they have liver problems at that time and consume a lot of alcohol.
- If there is a family history, such as someone in their family who has liver cancer, then the other ones are more likely to develop this condition at some point in their lives.
- Long-term exposure to aflatoxins, which are the type of toxins developed from a fungus and heavily affects the liver's normal functioning, can be among liver cancer causes.
Symptoms of liver cancer
The liver cancer symptoms are not so dominant and only start to surface once the disease has reached a more advanced stage. Following are some of the signs to look out for;
- Jaundice, a condition in which the eyes and skin go pale yellow
- Severe abdominal pain
- Consistent weight loss
- Enlarged liver or spleen
- Feeling fatigued
- Fever with immense back pain
- Nausea and vomiting
As cancer progresses within the liver and impairing its functionality to detoxify some aspects of the body, there occurs an instant rise in the body's calcium and cholesterol levels in the blood. Furthermore, you might see some swollen veins under the abdominal skin, which is another clear symptom of the liver's cancer progression.
Treatment options for liver cancer
The only real chance at recovery is surgery because this is the only way using which the tumors can be discarded from the body of patients at an early stage of liver cancer. Other treatment options include;
Partial hepatectomy
Hepatectomy is a type of surgery where a small part of the liver gets discarded with cancerous cells. This way, the liver cancer spread becomes slower before it affects other parts of the liver.
Liver transplant
The only condition for liver transplant is that the patient should have a tumor less than 5cm or various small tumors but less than 3cm. A small part of the liver from a healthy donor is taken and is grafted with the cancer patient's affected liver. If the transplant is successful, the chances for the cancer return are severely reduced. You can find some of the best treatment options among the top hospitals in Bangalore.
Radiotherapy
It targets the liver's specific cancerous cells and kills those mutating elements before it reaches other parts of the liver.
Chemotherapy
It involves giving patients a mix of medication and cancer controlling chemicals infused directly into their bloodstream. There are some side effects of this treatment; the most obvious one is hair loss and feeling weak and timid.
Final thoughts
Liver cancer can be life-threatening and difficult to treat, but proper medication and detecting the issue at an earlier stage can immensely help. Patients with liver cancer should make specific life changes, such as giving up alcohol consumption altogether, exercising regularly, and eating healthy.
