Medication
In the lab, doctors examine the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells. Liver biopsy carries a risk of bleeding, bruising and infection. Once liver cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will work to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. Staging tests help determine the size and location of cancer and whether it has spread.
Procedures
It is often hard to find liver cancer early because signs and symptoms often do not appear until it is in its later stages. Small liver tumors are hard to detect on a physical exam because most of the liver is covered by the right rib cage.
Therapy
For people at higher risk of liver cancer because they have cirrhosis (from any cause), hereditary hemochromatosis, or chronic hepatitis B infection (even without cirrhosis), some experts recommend screening for liver cancer with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood tests and ultrasound exams every 6 months.
Nutrition
Once liver cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will work to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. Staging tests help determine the size and location of cancer and whether it has spread. Imaging tests used to stage liver cancer include CTs, MRIs and bone scans.
How is liver cancer diagnosed and treated?
Why is it hard to find liver cancer early?
How often should you get screened for liver cancer?
How is the stage of liver cancer determined?
Is liver cancer curable if caught early?
If your cancer is early stage and the rest of your liver is healthy, surgery (partial hepatectomy) may cure you. Only a small number of people with liver cancer are in this category. Important factors that may influence the outcome are the size of the tumor(s) and if nearby blood vessels are affected.
How long do you have when diagnosed with liver cancer?
Without treatment, the median survival for stage B liver cancer is 16 months. With treatment, the median survival for stage B liver cancer is 20 months. To treat stage B liver cancer, you might have chemotherapy directly into the blood vessel feeding the tumour in the liver and blocking off the blood supply.
What is considered early stage liver cancer?
Stage 1A means there is a single tumour in the liver that is 2cm or less, and it has not grown into the blood vessels. Stage 1B means there is a single tumour that is more than 2cm, and it has not grown into the blood vessels. Stage 1 liver cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or anywhere else in the body.
Does liver cancer progress quickly?
Liver cancer can spread quickly depending on the type of cancer. Hemangiosarcoma and angiosarcoma types of liver cancer are fast spreading, whereas hepatocellular carcinoma spreads late in the disease.
How fast do liver tumors grow?
The estimated time needed for a HCC to grow from 1 cm to 2 cm was 212 days in patients with HBV infection and 328 days in those with HCV infection.
Is liver cancer a death sentence?
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease and a major cause of death in high endemic areas of hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCC has gone from being a universal death sentence to a cancer that can be prevented, detected at an early stage and effectively treated.
How long can you live with stage 1 liver cancer?
Survival rates depend on several factors, including the stage of the disease. For the 43% of people who are diagnosed with liver cancer at an early stage, the 5-year survival rate is 35%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 12%.
What stage is a 5 cm liver tumor?
Stage 2: One liver tumor is present, and cancer has spread to nearby blood vessels; or there is more than one tumor in the liver, but none are larger than 5 centimeters (cm).
Is a 5 cm liver tumor big?
Actually, single large (>5 cm) HCC is beyond the indication of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or liver transplantation (LT) according to the BCLC treatment guideline.
Is a 2 cm liver tumor big?
A single tumor 2 cm (4/5 inch) or smaller that hasn't grown into blood vessels (T1a). It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes (N0) or to distant sites (M0). A single tumor larger than 2cm (4/5 inch) that hasn't grown into blood vessels (T1b).
What is the longest someone has lived with liver cancer?
The longest patient survived 43 years and 2 months. Five young patients got married after resection and have had babies. One patient with a tumor measuring 17 x 13 x 9 cm (largest tumor in this series) survived for 37 years after resection, still alive, free of disease.
Can the liver heal itself from cancer?
As the liver can regenerate itself, it may be possible to remove a large section of it without seriously affecting your health. However, in the majority of people with liver cancer, their liver's regenerative ability may be significantly impaired and resection may be unsafe.
Potentially Resectable Or Transplantable Liver Cancers (Stage I and Some Stage II Tumors)
Potentially resectable: If your cancer is early stage and the rest of your liver is healthy, surgery (partial hepatectomy) may cure you. Only a sma...
Unresectable Liver Cancers (Some T1 to T4, N0, M0 Tumors)
Unresectable cancers include cancers that haven’t yet spread to lymph nodes or distant sites, but can’t be removed safely by partial hepatectomy. T...
Inoperable Liver Cancers With only Local Disease
These cancers are small enough and in the right place to be removed but the patient isn’t healthy enough for surgery. Treatment options include abl...
Advanced (Metastatic) Liver Cancers (Includes All N1 Or M1 Tumors)
Advanced liver cancer has spread either to the lymph nodes or to other organs. Because these cancers are widespread, they cannot be treated with su...
Detection and Diagnosis
Catching cancer early often allows for more treatment options. Some early cancers may have signs and symptoms that can be noticed, but that is not always the case.
Stages of Liver Cancer
After a cancer diagnosis, staging provides important information about the extent of cancer in the body and anticipated response to treatment.
Outlook (Prognosis)
Doctors often use survival rates as a standard way of discussing a person's outlook (prognosis). These numbers can’t tell you how long you will live, but they might help you better understand your prognosis.
Questions to Ask About Liver Cancer
Here are some questions you can ask your cancer care team to help you better understand your liver cancer diagnosis and treatment options.
How to learn about liver cancer?
Learn enough about liver cancer to make decisions about your care. Ask your doctor about your liver cancer, including the stage of your cancer, your treatment options and, if you like, your prognosis. As you learn more about liver cancer, you may become more confident in making treatment decisions. Keep friends and family close.
How to determine the stage of liver cancer?
Determining the extent of the liver cancer. Once liver cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will work to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. Staging tests help determine the size and location of cancer and whether it has spread. Imaging tests used to stage liver cancer include CTs, MRIs and bone scans. There are different methods of staging ...
What is a liver biopsy?
Close. Liver biopsy. Liver biopsy. A liver biopsy is a procedure to remove a small sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing. A liver biopsy is commonly performed by inserting a thin needle through your skin and into your liver. Tests and procedures used to diagnose liver cancer include: Blood tests.
Why do you need to remove liver tissue?
Sometimes it's necessary to remove a piece of liver tissue for laboratory testing in order to make a definitive diagnosis of liver cancer. During a liver biopsy, your doctor inserts a thin needle through your skin and into your liver to obtain a tissue sample. In the lab, doctors examine the tissue ...
How to treat liver cancer locally?
Localized treatment options for liver cancer include: Heating cancer cells. Radiofrequency ablation uses electric current to heat and destroy cancer cells. Using an imaging test as a guide, such as ultrasound, the doctor inserts one or more thin needles into small incisions in your abdomen.
What is the procedure to remove a liver?
Liver transplant surgery. During liver transplant surgery, your diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy liver from a donor. Liver transplant surgery is only an option for a small percentage of people with early-stage liver cancer.
Can radiation therapy help with liver cancer?
Doctors carefully direct the energy to the liver, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. Radiation therapy might be an option if other treatments aren't possible or if they haven't helped. For advanced liver cancer, radiation therapy might help control symptoms.
Why is it so hard to detect liver cancer?
It is often hard to find liver cancer early because signs and symptoms often do not appear until it is in its later stages. Small liver tumors are hard to detect on a physical exam because most of the liver is covered by the right rib cage. By the time a tumor can be felt, it might already be quite large.
Is there a screening for liver cancer?
At this time, there are no widely recommended screening tests for liver cancer in people who are at average risk. (Screening means testing for cancer in people who have no symptoms or history of cancer.) But testing might be recommended for some people at higher risk.
Is AFP a good test for liver cancer?
AFP is a protein that can be measured in the blood of patients with liver cancer. But looking for high AFP levels isn’t a perfect test for liver cancer. Many patients with early liver cancer have normal AFP levels.
Can you test for liver cancer?
Many patients who develop liver cancer have long-standing cirrhosis (scar tissue formation from liver damage). Doctors may do tests to look for liver cancer if a patient with cirrhosis gets worse for no apparent reason.
Can liver cancer cause AFP levels to increase?
Many patients with early liver cancer have normal AFP levels. Also, AFP levels can be increased from other kinds of cancer as well as some non-cancerous conditions.
What is the first test to see if you have cancer in your liver?
Ultrasound3 is often the first test used to look at the liver. It uses sound waves to createan image on a computer screen. This test can show tumors growing in the liver, whichthen can be tested for cancer, if needed.
How can liver cancer be found?
Some liver cancers can be found by testing people at high risk who don't havesymptoms (screening), but most liver cancers are found because they are causingsymptoms. If you have possible signs or symptoms of liver cancer, see your doctor, whowill examine you and may order some tests.
What is a CT scan of the liver?
The CT scan4 is an x-ray test that makes detailed images of your body. A CT scan ofthe abdomen can help find many types of liver tumors. It can give specific informationabout the size, shape, and location of any tumors in the liver or elsewhere in theabdomen, as well as nearby blood vessels. CT scans can also be used to guide abiopsy needle precisely into a suspected tumor (called a CT-guided needle biopsy). Ifyou are found to have liver cancer, a CT of your chest may also be done to look forpossible cancer spread to the lungs.
Why is it important to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team?
It’s important to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. They wantto answer all of your questions,so that you can make informed treatment and lifedecisions. Here are some questions to consider:
Can liver cancer be removed?
If the patient is healthy enough for surgery, these cancers can be completely removedby surgery or treated with a liver transplant. . This would include most stage I and somestage II cancers in the TNM system, in patients who do not have cirrhosis or otherserious medical problems. Only a small number of patients with liver cancer have thistype of tumor.
Can MRI scans show liver cancer?
Like CT scans, MRI scans5 provide detailed images of soft tissues in the body. But MRIscans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. MRI scans can be veryhelpful in looking at liver tumors. Sometimes they can tell a benign tumor from amalignant one. They can also be used to look at blood vessels in and around the liver tosee any blockages, and can help show if liver cancer has spread to other parts of thebody.
Can liver cancer be diagnosed with cirrhosis?
Many patients who develop liver cancer have long-standing cirrhosis (scar tissueformation from liver damage). Doctors may do tests to look for liver cancer if a patientwith cirrhosis gets worse for no apparent reason.
What is the best treatment for advanced liver cancer?
The drug sorafenib (Nexavar) is the first drug to significantly improve the overall survival with advanced liver cancer and is considered the drug of choice for such patients. People with advanced liver cancer may choose to join clinical trials testing new approaches to treatment. Pagination. 1. 2.
Why is it so hard to treat liver cancer?
Secondary or metastatic liver cancer is hard to treat because it has already spread. The liver's complex network of blood vessels and bile ducts makes surgery difficult. Most treatment concentrates on making patients feel better and perhaps live longer.
Why is liver cancer inoperable?
Unfortunately, most liver cancers are inoperable at the time it's diagnosed, either because the cancer is too advanced or the liver is too diseased to permit surgery. In some patients, chemotherapy is given directly into the liver (chemoembolization) to reduce tumors to a size that may make surgery possible.
Can you get a liver transplant with cirrhosis?
A liver transplant may be an option for those with both liver cancer and cirrhosis. Although this procedure is risky, it offers some chance of long-term survival. Advanced liver cancer has no standard curative treatment. Chemotherapy and low-dose radiation may control the cancer's spread and ease pain, however these are ...
Can you use ethanol to treat liver cancer?
Patients in remission must be monitored closely for potential recurrence. Cryotherapy, or freezing the tumor, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), using radio waves to destroy the tumor, may be used to treat some cases of liver cancer.
Is liver cancer screening routine?
Screening for early detection of primary liver cancer is not performed routinely, but it may be considered for people at high risk for the disease. However, studies haven't determined if screening is beneficial for people who are not at increased risk.
Does radiation help with cancer?
Chemotherapy and low-dose radiation may control the cancer's spread and ease pain, however these are of modest benefit in this type of cancer. Most patients receive painkilling medication along with drugs to relieve nausea, improve appetite, and reduce abdominal or lower body swelling.
Where does stage 4 liver cancer spread?
Stage 4 liver cancer: The cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes and/or to distant sites within the body . Advanced liver cancer doesn’t often metastasize, but when it does, it’s most likely to spread to the lungs and bones.
What is the most common staging system for liver cancer?
Okuda system. Though the TNM system is the most common, there’s no single staging system consistently used by the medical community, so if you have questions about your liver cancer stage, make sure to discuss them with your oncology team.
What are the different types of liver cancer?
Several liver cancer staging systems have been developed that take into account how the function of the liver may affect the prognosis: 1 Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) system 2 Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) system 3 Okuda system
Is liver cancer a life threatening condition?
Unlike other cancers, liver cancer is complicated by the fact that most patients have damage that limits the organ’s function. The liver provides a crucial service for the body, aiding in digestion and detoxification. Reduced liver function may result in severe, even life-threatening, conditions.
Does TNM look at liver function?
However, TNM—created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer—doesn’t look at liver function. This is why other staging systems, such as the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer system, are sometimes used for primary liver cancer. The TNM system bases the staging criteria on the evaluation of three primary factors:
An Overview of Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is often referred to as Hepatoma or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Liver cancer is categorized into stages based on its intensity, and the 4th stage is advanced of them all. In this stage, cancer has begun to spread to the nearby lymph nodes and or the distant lymph nodes and organs.
Stage 4 Liver Cancer
The intensity and degree of damage are indicated by the stage. It assists the doctor in making treatment decisions. It is different among the different kinds of cancer and is usually divided from 1 to 4. Stage 4 in Liver disease is divided further into two stages: 4A and 4B.
Stage 4 Liver Cancer Symptoms
The initial stages of liver cancer may not show any signs of the disease. After stage 3 liver cancer, as the disease extends its stay in the body, the signs and symptoms are more prominent and aren’t always directly related to the diagnosed cancer stage. The effects of cancer on a person is subjective, but some of the symptoms include
Causes
Multiple risk factors contribute to the development of terminal liver cancer. These variables are conditions, behaviors, and other lifestyle-related reasons to develop a disease. An estimated 40% of cases are due to hepatitis B, another 40% due to hepatitis C, 11% cases begin with alcohol consumption, and about 10% have other causes.
Prognosis
When it comes to liver cancer prognosis, all the results will be relative to the survival rate. This means the number of people who survive a specific amount of time after being diagnosed with cancer. For liver cancer, this duration is five years. The survival rate is also different for different stages of cancer.
Coping
Stage 4 cancer diagnosis brings up many complicated emotions. It will further affect family, friends, and lifestyle. It is therefore important to have coping mechanisms in place for both the patient and the family.
Get Support From All American Hospice
Liver cancer is an extremely common and dangerous form of cancer that is tricky to find and treat. However, this does not mean that it is incurable.
Diagnosis
Treatment
Clinical Trials
Alternative Medicine
Specialist to consult
Coping and Support
- Diagnosing liver cancer
Tests and procedures used to diagnose liver cancer include: 1. Blood tests.Blood tests may reveal liver function abnormalities. 2. Imaging tests.Your doctor may recommend imaging tests, such as an ultrasound, CT and MRI. 3. Removing a sample of liver tissue for testing. Sometimes it's nece… - Determining the extent of the liver cancer
Once liver cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will work to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. Staging tests help determine the size and location of cancer and whether it has spread. Imaging tests used to stage liver cancer include CTs, MRIs and bone scans. There are different …
Preparing For Your Appointment
- Treatments for primary liver cancer depend on the extent (stage) of the disease as well as your age, overall health and personal preferences.