Stage 4 Liver Cancer

Liver cancer symptoms

The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body which performs many important functions. Liver cancer is the type of cancer that affects the liver. It can either originate in the cells of the liver (primary liver cancer) or spread to the liver from other parts of the body (metastatic liver cancer). Liver cancer is described as a silent killer because it remains undetected for many years till it reaches the advanced stage. It is only at the advanced stage that the symptoms start to show up.

The symptoms of liver cancer include

• Weight loss – Unexplained weight loss occurs in people suffering from liver cancer. This can be attributed to the fact that patients experience loss of appetite whereby they tend to eat very less causing them to lose weight.
• Swollen abdomen – The right side of the abdomen can become swollen due to the enlargement of liver caused by the growing cancer.
• Ascites – This refers to the building up of fluid which in turn causes the abdomen to swell.   The liver becomes congested and as a result much pressure is applied on the blood vessels in the liver. This affects the normal blood flow through the veins causing the blood to get stored in the veins. The pressure in the veins thus increases and causes fluid to enter into the abdomen from the veins.
• Abdominal Pain – A person suffering from liver cancer experiences severe abdominal pain that occurs in the upper right side of the abdomen and the back. The pain may even spread up the back in to the shoulder in some cases.
• Jaundice – Jaundice is the development of yellow coloration of the skin and/or whites of the eyes. During the advanced stages of liver cancer, the bile ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine become blocked. This blockage causes the bile to flow back in to the blood thus leading to the yellow coloration of the skin and white of the eye. The blockage also causes the bile’s pigment to be eliminated through the kidneys hence making the urine dark and the faeces pale colored.
• Fatigue and weakness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Feeling of fullness even after eating very less food
• Itching
• High temperature and sweating
• Fever
• If the cancer metastasizes, then shortness of breath and cough occurs
• Breast swelling in men – This may occur when the liver fails to break down estrogen. Another symptom of liver cancer is very red palms (Palmar erythema).
• The liver fails to make use of the Vitamin K that is needed for the production of prothrombin (an essential component in the blood clotting process). This may lead to intestinal bleeding in some patients. Bruises may also be formed on the skin.
• The level of ammonia in the body may increase causing fatigue and sometimes coma.
• Esophageal varices (abnormally enlarged blood vessel) – This occurs when the tumor attacks and blocks the portal vein causing the blood to drain through the esophageal veins.
• Confusion and increased sleepiness
• Unexplained muscle wasting

If any of the above mentioned symptoms are noticed, it is extremely important to make a visit to the doctor. The survival rate decreases as the cancer progresses to the advanced stages. Detecting liver cancer at an earlier stage gives the patient a better chance to fight the disease and a better chance of survival.