Liver is the biggest glandular organ in the body and plays many important roles to keep the body clear of viruses and dangerous substances. It’s located in the right upper quadrant of the stomach, right below the ribs.
Types of Liver Cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
This is cancer of liver cells, called hepatocytes, which are the predominant cells in liver. It can grow from the liver to different parts of the body, such as the pancreas, intestines, and abdomen.
Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma, more usually known as bile duct cancer. Bile duct is tubular structure which carry bile from liver to the gallbladder which help in digestion.
Liver Angiosarcoma
Liver angiosarcoma is a unique kind of liver cancer that occurs in the blood vessels of the liver. This type of cancer tends to grow very fast, so it’s typically diagnosed at a more advanced stage.
Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is a very rare type of liver cancer. It’s nearly always seen in kids, especially those under age 3. This type of tumor is managed by surgical excision, chemotherapy and liver transplant.
Risk Factors
Cirrhosis of liver
Hepatitis b & c infection
Older age
Smoking
Obesity
Family history of liver cancer
Exposure to certain substances in the workplace
Symptoms of Liver Cancer
Most people don’t have signs in the initial stages of primary liver cancer. When symptoms do arise, they may include:
- Weight loss
- Lack of appetite
- Upper abdominal pain or discomfort
- Illness and vomiting
- General debility and fatigue
- Abdominal swelling
- Yellow coloration of your skin and eyes
- White or light coloured stools
How can it be diagnosed?
Early diagnosis dramatically improves your chances of successful treatment.
Blood and urine tests
Tests of your blood & urine may give your doctor about liver function abnormalities.
Imaging tests
Imaging tests allow your surgeon to imagine liver disease. Imaging tests might include an ultrasound, a CT scan or MRI
Biopsy
In a few cases, your doctor may suggest a method to extract a small sample of tissue (biopsy) from a suspicious region of the liver. The sample is tested in a lab to see for signs of cancer.
Treatment
Dr. Swapnil Sharma is the liver and HPB cancer specialist who customizes liver cancer treatment to your particular needs. One or more of the following therapies may be recommended to treat cancer or help relieve symptoms.
- Surgery
Operations used to treat liver cancer include:
Surgery to remove the tumor: If tumour is small and liver functions good, liver cancer doctors may perform surgeries to remove tumour along with some healthy liver tissues.
Liver transplant surgery: In liver transplant, the diseased liver is replaced with a healthy liver from a donor.
- Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is used if all other treatment methods are failed. It is also used to control cancer symptoms
Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy from sources such as X-rays and protons to destroy cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors. Doctors carefully direct the energy to the liver, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue.
In external beam radiation therapy treatment, the patient is said to lie on a table and a beam is allowed to pass at a precise point on your body.
- Targeted drug therapy
Targeted drug therapy focuses on certain abnormalities present within cancer cells. By killing these abnormalities through targeted drug cancer cells are allowed to die.
- Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses an internal immune system of a patient to fight with cancer. Sometimes the immune system of a patient is unable to attack cancer as the cancer cells produce proteins that blind the immune system cells. Immunotherapy is used to improve this process. It is used for patients with advanced liver cancer.
- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill rapidly growing cancer cells. It can be controlled either through a vein in your arm, in pill form or both.
Prognosis and follow up
The prognosis for liver cancer depends on various factors that include the size of the tumour, the number of lesions, the spread of tumour, the health of the surrounding liver tissues, the overall health of the liver and the patient’s health.
A predictive factor influences how cancer will respond to a certain treatment. Prognostic and predictive factors both play a part in deciding on a treatment plan and a prognosis.
Dr. Swapnil Sharma uses different prognostic and predictive factors for newly diagnosed and recurrent breast cancers.
Why choose Dr. Swapnil Sharma for Liver Cancer Treatment?
Dr. Swapnil Sharma provides advanced methodologies of diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. His aim is to cure and provide a better quality of life for patients in sophisticated infrastructure. He provides complete care to his patients from early detection and prevention, better diagnostics and treatment options. Dr. Swapnil Sharma works together with a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, hepatologist and reconstructive surgeon as a team to achieve the best possible outcome. They coordinate and develop comprehensive treatment plans that are unique to each patient’s disease and their needs.