Liver Cancer Treatment

Information about liver cancer treatment is available to those who are infected with the disease and desire to know what is ahead of them for longevity and treatments. There are two types of the carcinoma, primary and secondary. Primary means that the illness originates in the organ and secondary means that the illness has spread from another organ. This organ is one of the largest in the body. It has four lobes and fills the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. It has essential functions in the body, including filtering out harmful substances from the blood, making bile to help digest fats from food, and storing glycogen for the body's later use in creating energy. Glycogen is essentially sugars in the body. This is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the organ. Or a metastasis may begin in another part of the body and spread to this large organ. Although this illness can occur in adults and children, liver cancer symptoms are different for adults and children.

There are numerous risk factors for this disease. Being infected with hepatitis or cirrhosis are both serious risk factors. Having a risk factor does not mean a person will automatically contract the disease, but the likelihood is much higher. Not only does have these two diseases increased the likelihood, but also having a close relative who have either hepatitis or carcinoma. A fungus that can grow on foods can also cause problems. That is called aflatoxin, and is found on grains and nuts that have not been stored properly. One of the main liver cancer symptoms is a lump or pain on the right side of the body. This may be caused by a swelling of the organ. Other warning signs are a hard lump on the right side just below the rib cage, discomfort in the upper abdomen, pain around the right shoulder blade, unexplained weight loss, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and white of the eyes), fatigue, nausea, and loss of appetite. Once tests of the organ and blood detect primary carcinoma in this essential organ, liver cancer treatment should start immediately.

With liver cancer treatment, a number of tests and procedures may be ordered by the doctor. First would be a physical exam to check for general signs of health. The doctor will search for lumps and will ask for a medical history of health habits and past illnesses. A serum tumor marker test, which is a blood test, will measure certain substances in the blood that are given off by tissues or tumor cells. There are tumor markers that can show the signs of a present carcinoma. A complete blood count will also be drawn. This shows the number or red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, and the portion of the blood made up of red blood cells. A laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that looks inside the abdomen. The surgeon makes small incisions in the wall of the abdomen and inserts a small camera that has a small lighted tube. A biopsy may be performed at the same time. A biopsy is when the surgeon removes a small amount of cells or tissues so that they can be examined under a microscope. A biopsy may also be done during an x-ray or ultrasound. This is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. These may all be done at the existence of liver cancer symptoms.

Another procedure that may be ordered is a CT scan. A dye is injected into a vein to highlight parts of the body. Then the machine takes detailed pictures of the body. A computer is linked to an x-ray machine to make the picture more complete. Another test is called an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This uses magnet, radio waves, and a computer to take pictures inside the body. It can pinpoint parts of the body to make a more accurate definition of the disease. Another test, an ultrasound exam, uses high-energy sound waves that bounce off internal tissues to make echoes. These echoes form a picture called a sonogram. These are all recent inventions that make diagnosing liver cancer symptoms more accurate and give doctors better choices in liver cancer treatment. When the illness has spread from the primary organ to other parts of the body, that is called staging. It is important to know the stage the disease is in to plan liver cancer treatment. First an x-ray may be order to take pictures of other parts of the body, including the heart and the bones. A CT scan or an MRI may be ordered. Then a bone scan will be done to see if any of the bones have been infected. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the veins and collects in the bones. This material is detected by a scanner and shows up any abnormalities in the bones. A Doppler ultrasound will measure the speed and direction of the flow of blood. If the tumor is only located in the primary organ, it can be removed by surgery. It is has spread to other places in the body, then other procedures such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy will be used. But even if we find that we have liver cancer symptoms, we have a Savior who can heal. Matthew 4:23 says, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." He has just as much power to heal today as He did two thousand years ago.

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