Liver cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide and has been increasing in incidence in recent years. According to data from the AECC Cancer Observatory, more than six thousand new cases are detected each year in Spain.
In this article we talk to Dr. Gómez Gavara, a specialist in General Surgery, to find out a little more about liver cancer, the symptoms it causes and how to treat it.
According to the Spanish Association Against Cancer, liver cancer is a consequence of the development of tumor cells, cells that divide abnormally and uncontrollably. Cancer occurs when these cells invade healthy tissue around the liver.
Doctor, are there risk factors for liver cancer?
Excessive alcohol consumption, chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, exposure to toxins such as aflatoxins, cirrhosis and diabetes are factors that can contribute to the development of liver cancer. Likewise, the existence of tumors in other locations such as the colon, stomach, intestines, lung, breast and thyroid, among others, can lead to the settlement of cells in the liver, which is called metastasis. To date, the most radical treatment of choice for liver tumors is still surgery.
Can liver cancer be detected early?
In patients with predisposing conditions (fatty liver, cirrhosis, hepatitis B or C virus, alcohol consumption, among others) a strict follow-up with liver imaging tests every 3-6 months is recommended.
What symptoms can alert us to liver cancer?
Liver cancer does not usually cause symptoms in its early stages, however, in its more advanced stages we can find symptoms such as abdominal swelling, bulging of the abdomen below the ribs on the right side, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, yellowing of the skin, lighter stools and darker urine, among others.
What will the treatment itself consist of?
Liver cancer has a wide range of treatment possibilities that have advanced a lot in recent years, from surgery, to local treatments (radiofrequency, chemoembolization, radioembolization, microwaves) to liver transplantation.
The assessment by an expert specialist is essential to guide the best treatment for each patient.