What is hepatocarcinoma?
Hepatocarcinoma is the most common form of malignant liver tumor, usually affecting patients over the age of 40. It is the third most deadly type of cancer worldwide.
Prognosis of the disease
This type of tumor is often diagnosed in the advanced stage, since in the initial stage the symptoms are mild or non-existent. As a consequence, the survival rate is relatively low. Prevention is therefore essential for people at risk, i.e. those already suffering from liver disease.
Symptoms of hepatocarcinoma
Hepatocarcinoma has a specific symptomatology, so attention should be paid to the following symptoms:
- Pain in the abdomen
- Sudden weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Tiredness
- Vomiting, nausea, tension in the abdomen
- Enlarged liver
- Enlarged abdomen
- Fever and bone pain
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
- Enlarged spleen
- Worsening in cirrhosis of the liver, if the patient has cirrhosis.
What are the causes of hepatocarcinoma?
The main causes of this type of tumor are:
- Cirrhosis of the liver, due to alcohol abuse.
- Hepatitis B and C
- Hemochromatosis, a disease that causes iron deposition in the liver and other organs.
- Carcinogenic substances found in foods
- Exposure to harmful substances, such as arsenic and vinyl chloride monomer
- Ingestion of anabolic steroids
- Alcohol abuse
- Secondary risk factors, such as smoking or obesity
Is it preventable?
All patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver or other pathologies affecting the liver should undergo a series of frequent control tests to diagnose any abnormality in time.
On the other hand, to avoid exposure to the hepatitis B and C virus, it is important to follow a series of precautions:
- Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and C.
- Reduce alcohol consumption
- Abstain from drug use
- Practice safe sex
- Opt for certified tattoo and piercing centers.
It is also important to improve one’s lifestyle to contribute to cancer prevention. Therefore, it is important to follow a correct diet and practice sports to maintain a healthy weight.
Treatments for hepatocarcinoma
There are a number of therapies used to treat hepatocarcinoma.
Systemic therapies:
- Surgical removal of the tumor: the procedure cannot be performed in several cases, for example, when the tumor is at an advanced stage or when the patient suffers from liver cirrhosis.
- Liver transplantation is less frequent and, in fact, is a very recent technique. In addition, many transplanted patients do not survive surgery.
- Radiation therapy can cause a reduction in tumor size.
Local or regional therapies:
- Local chemotherapy: the drug is injected directly into the hepatic artery.
- Ablative treatment: the hepatic artery is tied off to deprive the tumor of its blood supply.
- Chemoembolization: a contrast agent with chemotherapy drugs is placed in the tumor.
- Percutaneous ultrasound alcoholization: ethyl alcohol, a substance toxic to cancer, is injected.
- Radiofrequency to apply electrical signals to the tumor mass.
Local and regional therapies have been shown to have a higher success rate than systemic therapies. However, they are only effective in the case of small tumors.
Which specialist treats you?
The specialist in charge of treatment once the disease has been diagnosed is the hepatologist and the oncologist. And in the event that it is necessary to operate on the tumor, the patient must consult the surgical oncologist.