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Symptoms of Liver Cancer



The signs and symptoms of liver cancer are usually very conspicuous. In fact, you may not even have any symptoms in the initial period of the cancer. Since the condition does not have any specific symptoms in its initial stages, doctors recommend that people who are at a high risk of developing liver cancer should get screening tests performed regularly. The symptoms of liver cancer can differ from one person to another.

Since most people already have liver disease or cirrhosis when they develop liver cancer, the initial symptoms may only look like worsening of the preexisting liver conditions. Only in the rarest cases would you have tell-tale signs at the initial stages of the condition. Though uncommon, abdominal pain is usually the first real indication of a cancer. As the cancer progresses, you may experience unexplained fevers as well as unexplained weight loss.

In men and women who have a compensated cirrhosis may suddenly develop complications. Such complications are usually not explainable by doctors initially. However, after the initial screening tests, most doctors attribute these complications to the development of liver cancer. Some of the most common symptoms of this condition include:

  • Ascites: The abdominal region begins to swell due to fluids from the liver.
  • Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
  • Muscle Wasting: There is no apparent cause of muscle wasting, especially in the limbs.
  • Esophageal Varices: Dilated veins in the neck and esophageal region due to blocking of the portal vein.
  • Enlarged Liver: Though this is not apparent, a physical examination can show slight tenderness and enlargement in the liver.
  • Hepatic Bruit: Liver cancers contain a lot of blood vessels and this extra blood in the liver may cause a distinct murmuring sound which can be heard with the help of a stethoscope.
  • Metastases of liver cancer are very common and the cancer may spread to the lungs.

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References
  1. Shu-Chun Chuang, Carlo La Vecchia, Paolo Boffetta, Liver cancer: Descriptive epidemiology and risk factors other than HBV and HCV infection, Cancer Letters, Volume 286, Issue 1, 1 December 2009, Pages 9-14, ISSN 0304-3835, 10.1016/j.canlet.2008.10.040.
  2. W. Thomas London, Liver Cancer: Etiology and Prevention, In: Editor-in-Chief:   Joseph R. Bertino, Editor(s)-in-Chief, Encyclopedia of Cancer (Second Edition), Academic Press, New York, 2002, Pages 39-44, ISBN 9780122275555, 10.1016/B0-12-227555-1/00123-4.