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Today’s urban lifestyle and choices are the prime reasons behind the surging number of ailments. Millions of people adopting unhealthy habits encounter illness, disability and death. One of such ailments is liver cancer.
Liver or hepatic cancer is one of the fastest spreading ailments in India. Every year around 50,000 Indians is diagnosed with this disease.
Keep reading to learn about the types, stages, symptoms, causes, treatment, and risk factors contributing to this cancer.
When the cells in the liver grow at an abnormal speed leaving less space for new cells to develop, it results in the liver or hepatic cancer.
Below is a list of reasons responsible for liver cancer.
The symptoms of hepatic cancer become primarily prominent in the later stages, including-
However, these symptoms are generic and can indicate other forms of cancer and chronic diseases as well.
Hepatic cancer may lead to swollen veins visible under our abdominal skin, bruising and bleeding.
In some cases, hepatic cancer initiates hormone production that affects other body organs and systems, including-
It is one of the liver cancer symptoms in males, causing breast enlargement or shrinkage of testicles.
This increases the red blood cells level in the body.
This is one of the primary risk factors for heart diseases.
When the calcium level increases, one may feel weak, nauseous, confused. This may also lead to constipation and muscle issues.
Under this condition, an individual may feel fatigued as the blood sugar level deteriorates.
However, there are no distinctive liver cancer symptoms in females.
Numerous risk factors make human bodies susceptible to developing liver cancer cells. Very Well Health published an article that states 40% of liver cancer is correlated with Hepatitis B and C, 11% with alcohol consumption, and 10% due to other problems.
What are those? Let us find out.
For treatment purposes, oncologists have classified liver cancer into 4 categories -
This type includes Stage I and some Stage II cancers in the TNM system among patients without a history of cirrhosis or other ailments. If the patient’s body sustains surgery, this form of cancer can be removed entirely. Alternatively, doctors opt for liver transplants in such cases.
Though not spread to the lymph nodes or distant organs, this cancer variant develops at the junction of the liver and the major arteries, veins and bile ducts. Thus it cannot be removed safely through an operation.
Though this type is small and can be removed by surgery, the patient must be healthy enough to sustain surgery. Especially it is unsafe for patients with cirrhosis and other serious ailments.
This variant includes Stage IVA and IVB in the TNM system. When the tumour spreads to lymph nodes or other organs, it is referred to as advanced or metastatic cancer.
Doctors conduct the following tests to diagnose liver cancer and its severity.
Oncologists have categorised different stages to determine the percentage and severity of liver cancer spread. Also, the staging process helps cancer specialists to evaluate the survival statistics of patients.
Liver cancer stages range between I and IV. While Stage I refers to lesser spread, Stage IV indicates that the cancer cells have spread to a more significant portion.
Go through the AJCC (American Joint Committee of Cancer) TNM Staging System to get a comprehensive idea.
Liver Cancer Stages
|
AJCC Stage |
Stage Grouping |
Description |
|
IA |
T1a |
A single tumour of 4/ 5 inch (2 cm) or smaller that is yet to grow into blood cells |
|
IA |
N0, M0 |
Not spread to surrounding lymph nodes (N0) or distant parts (M0) |
|
IB |
T1b |
A single tumour larger than 4/5 inch (2 cm) yet to grown into blood vessels |
|
IB |
N0, M0 |
Cancer cells not spread to surrounding lymph nodes or distant parts |
|
II |
T2 |
A single tumour larger than 4 /5 inch (2 cm) grown into blood vessels, More than 1 tumour smaller than 2 inch (5 cm) across |
|
II |
N0, M0 |
Not yet spread to surrounding lymph nodes (N0) or to distant areas (M0) |
|
IIIA |
T3 |
More than one tumour of which one is larger than 2 inch (5 cm) across |
|
IIIA |
N0, M0 |
Not yet spread to surround lymph nodes (N0) or to distant areas (M0) |
|
IIIB |
T4 |
Minimum 1 tumour of any size grown into a primary branch of a large liver vein (portal or hepatic vein) |
|
IIIB |
N0, M0 |
Yet to spread to surrounding lymph nodes (N0) or distant areas (M0) |
|
IVA |
Any T, N1, M0 |
1 or multiple tumours of any size (NT) spread to surrounding lymph nodes (N1) but not at distant areas (M0) |
|
IVB |
Any T |
1 or multiple tumours of any size (Any T) |
|
IVB |
Any N |
May spread to surrounding lymph nodes (Any N) |
|
IVB |
M1 |
Spread to distant organs like bones or lungs (M1) |
Here, T = size, number and spread of tumours
N = Surrounding lymph nodes
M = Distant lymph nodes or organs like bones and lungs
Nonetheless, there are more staging systems of liver cancer followed by doctors across the world.
Depending on the liver cancer stages, patients may consult different cancer specialists. The list includes-
However, individuals suffering from stage 4 liver cancer may require additional assistance, including nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, rehabilitation specialists, and other health professionals.
Below is the list of the most-practised liver cancer treatments across the world.
Two effective ways to cure liver cancer are surgical resection (removal of the tumour) and liver transplant. In this respect, the patients have to be healthy to survive the extensive surgery.
Fragmentary Hepatectomy
This process involves partial removal of the affected part. Surgeons recommend this treatment to patients with only 1 tumour that has not spread into blood vessels.
The process involves CT, or MRI scans with angiography to determine whether it is possible to remove the affected area. However, during surgeries, if the doctor finds that the tumour is too large to be removed, they do not conduct surgical resection.
Risks and Side Effects
Liver resection is a critical operation and thus conducted only by experts. If operated by an inexperienced oncologist, patients may suffer the following side effects-
If the affected area is not eradicated, it may lead to new carcinogenic cell development in the liver.
When the tumours are more in number and more prominent in size, oncologists opt for transplantation.
Note: Doctors recommend liver transplantation if the tumour is smaller than 5 cm or there are 2 or 3 tumours of less than 3 cm in size and not grown into the blood vessels.
Liver transplantation is an expensive surgery but assures no new cancer develops further.
Risks and Side Effects
Patients who need liver transplantation have to wait until finding a suitable donor. They have to undergo other treatments like embolisation and ablation to stop the spread further. Also, doctors suggest a surgical resection to control the spread and then transplant the liver when available.
Similar to partial hepatectomy, liver transplantation involves several risks. Therefore, it should be treated by reliable surgeons only. Elsewise, one may suffer-
However, before transplantation, several checks like blood tests, biopsies etc., are conducted to avoid rejection of the new liver.
Also known as chemo, this treatment destroys cancer cells with the use of drugs. Doctors recommend this therapy if a patient cannot survive surgery and does not respond to other therapies like ablation or embolisation.
There are 3 types of chemotherapies widely practised by oncologists-
Risks and Side Effects
Some of the common side effects of chemotherapy include-
These side effects last till the treatment. Individuals can seek assistance from experts to reduce them.
Experts have come up with several forms of treatments for unresectable tumours. It includes-
If the tumour spreads to lymph nodes or other body organs, experts recommend the following treatments-
According to Cancer.Net, the 5-year liver cancer survival rate depends on a patient’s health condition and the stage of the ailment. For instance, 44% of patients diagnosed with hepatic cancer at the early stage has 34% 5-year survival rate. If cancer spread to surrounding parts or tissues or lymph nodes, the rate is 12%. And patients suffering from last stage liver cancer have a 5-year survival rate of 3% only.
However, in 2020, about 4.7%, that is, 9,05,677 new liver cancer cases, were reported worldwide, and the death rate was 8.3%. So, if you come across any of the mentioned liver cancer symptoms, opt for a thorough check-up to get it diagnosed at the early stage to reduce the spread rate.
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