9 Warning Signs of Liver Cancer

9 Warning Signs of Liver Cancer

Cancer of the liver can move slowly and go undetected for quite a while. After all, your liver is such a regenerative and resilient organ, it can continue to function just enough to keep you going even when there is serious damage and disease at play.

Secondary liver cancer is more prevalent than primary liver cancer; the term refers to cancer that originates somewhere else in the body and moves to the liver (metastasizes), where it continues to grow. Once liver cancer symptoms begin to materialize, they normally indicate a later stage cancer, but there is a chance to catch the disease early – and hopefully slow or stop the progression – if you spot any of these suspicious signs.

1. Weight Loss.
One common early symptom of liver cancer is unexplained weight loss, affecting up to 40% of cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. If you’ve been eating regularly but your level activity or level of stress hasn’t increased, the falling number on the scale could point to a serious underlying problem.

Often, this initial weight loss is linked to changes in appetite or periodic nausea (two other early cancer symptoms), but the cancer could also be causing changes in your metabolism, leading your body to burn through its calories quickly. When weight loss comes with other changes or new discomforts, it’s time to see a doctor.

2. An Enlarged Liver.
The liver is a fairly wide organ that sits relatively close to the surface of your body, so physical changes are sometimes more pronounced than they would be in other organs. Bumps or swelling on the right side under the lower ribs can indicate an enlarged liver, which often comes with a feeling of fullness.

Several conditions can cause your liver to grow beyond its normal proportions, so this doesn’t necessarily indicate cancer. However, a more defined mass that’s firm to the touch could be a tumor, and demands immediate attention.

3. Pain in the Right Side.
The early stages of liver cancer rarely bring much pain or discomfort, but as the disease progresses and the tumor grows, you may begin to notice some pressure and pain in the right side of your upper abdomen.

In some cases, the pain is in the right shoulder blade: known as referred pain, this happens when the liver begins to press on the nerves beneath the diaphragm that link to the nerves in the shoulder. The pain may be constant or it could come and go, and sometimes it’s only a mildly uncomfortable sensation. When pressure on the diaphragm is involved, chronic hiccups can come with the pain.

4. Nausea.
It normally comes with a loss of appetite or abdominal swelling, but nausea could also show up before any other symptoms of liver cancer. As your liver loses function, it fails to filter out all the toxic by-products of your regular metabolism, and those can build-up to cause a vague feeling of sickness, or more pronounced nausea.

As the build-up continues, the nausea can worsen, turning into vomiting and severe loss of appetite. In other cases, the tumor on the liver will produce certain hormones that lead to high blood calcium levels (called hypercalcemia), which can lead to nausea and other digestive distress.

5. Swelling.
When cancer cells affect the liver and surrounding area, they can cause changes in blood vessels and lymph nodes, resulting in a build-up of fluid. This swelling is known as ascites, and features a hard, protruding abdomen. The backup of fluids can be explained in a number of ways: the cancer cells may have spread to the abdominal lining and irritated the tissue, the cells may have increased pressure in the veins that drain through the liver, or they may begin to block the lymphatic system. In any case, ascites will not go away by itself, whether or not it is caused by cancer – you will need to have your doctor drain the fluid away.

6. Itching.
7. Yellowing Skin and Eyes.
8. Loss of Appetite.
9. Weakness and Fatigue

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9 Warning Signs of Liver Cancer
By HEALTH ZONE

• Category

  Liver Cancer