This kind of cancer is going on the rise and you should make sure that you have regular screenings in case you are at risk, as well as paying a visit to the doctor if you show any liver cancer symptom.
First, know that liver cancer rates are increasing
This cancer is quite rare, but it happened since the 1990s that the
relative risk has doubled rising from 3,5 to 6,5 percent per 100.000,
and the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, Otis
Brawley has noted. It´s symptoms do not usually show until the cancer is
at some advanced stages, so it is important to make regular screenings
and that may be the key to survival rates. If we see someone with
regular screenings and it looks like cancer, we will be able to cure
them, opposite to the case when they have an advance disease that has
spread beyond the liver, said Doctor Ghassan Aboualfa, a medical
oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We do not want
to see patients with symptoms. Find out about the four risk factors and
the four symptoms that may give clue the signs of liver damage, and
also avoid these ways because you are secretly hurting the liver.
You’ve had hepatitis C
There exist some characteristics that can put you at risk for liver
cancer. Some people who have history of the virus hepatitis C can
develop related liver cancer ten years after their diagnosis was made.
CDS recommended that everyone born between 1945 and 1965 get tested for
this virus. Most oft he American people in this age group have never
been screened, explained Doctor Brawley. There actually is some
treatment that may cure hepatitis C and therefore prevent liver cancer.
You can be having this liver disease and not know it.
You’ve had hepatitis B (or haven’t been vaccinated)
Although this one is not related to hepatitis C, it can also cause cancer. All of the children in America get vaccinated when they are born, but there are people who have not gotten this vaccination may be at risk for liver cancer, Dr. Aboualfa noted. Every person who used to have hepatitis should have some form of monitoring by a medical expert, and he also recommends getting an ultrasound at least once a year in order to screen for cancer in case you had either virus. Having a test done for protein alfa fetoprotein in the blood may also be a sign to liver cancer, even though it has been proven to be an accurate test. Maybe it is that you are not realizing it, but third hand smoke can actually damage your liver.
You hit the bottle hard (or used to)
Heavy alcohol is able to damage the liver cells which are replaced by
scar tissue and this one is an issue that may then lead to liver
cancer, as the American Cancer Society thinks. Be careful and pay some
attention to these signs you are binge drinking.
You’re obese
There is some new driver of this cancer, and that is non-alcoholic fatty
liver disease, Doctor Abou-Alfa notes and the increase in liver cancer
associated with obesity and diabetes has been the main driver for many
years. Just because you are overweight does not mean you are at high
risk for liver cancer necessarily , Dr. Bawley explains. Many people in
the United Sates are obese and liver cancer is so rare, he added. The
more risk factors you have, the more concerned you should be, so you
should consult with your doctor. Try our ways to lose weight without a
lick of exercise.
You notice unusual abdominal pain
Most of persons with liver cancer experience some pain in the upper
right of their abdomen, says Dr. Brawley, and when he examines patients
who are asymptomatic, when he presses where the liver is, they say that
that hurts. Experiencing pain in this area does not necessarily mean
liver cancer, it may be from hepatitis, or pancreas problems, or
gallbladder, he noted. Here are the seven common stomach pains and what
they mean.
You’re losing weight without trying
Loss of appetite and weight loss is a common symptom of people with a
lot of different diseases, including a number of different cancers and
viruses, Dr. Brawley noted. Dropping on the scale might not be cancer,
but please make sure to tell your doctor if your other symptoms could be
linked with liver cancer. There follow some other cancer symptoms men
should never ignore and cancer signs women shouldn’t overlook.
You feel full quickly
Having some excess fluid in the belly could cause you to feel full
faster than usual, Dr. Abou-Alfa says. Cancer always makes you lose your
appetite.
Your eyes or skin are yellow
These symptoms of jaundice could indicate liver cancer, and if you are
itching and have jaundice, it’s not a good story,” he told us. Jaundice
can also be a telltale symptom of pancreatic cancer.