What is Liver cancer?
Liver cancer can be primary or secondary.
Primary Liver cancer
Liver cancer is rare within the UK with 2,800 people diagnosed yearly. This cancer tends to affect men more than women.
There are different types of liver cancer:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Angiosarcomas
- Heptoblastomas
You may also be diagnosed with a benign liver tumour which does not become cancerous. These are often diagnosed following surgery for an unrelated medical condition; they do not tend to cause symptoms or affect the body, therefore are usually not removed.
The type of tumour you are diagnosed with will determine your treatment. You can discuss this with your consultant/doctor.
Things to look out for
Symptoms include but are not limited to:
- Yellowing of skin and eye whites known as jaundice
- Abdominal swelling caused by accumulation of fluid
- Pain within the abdominal area or the right shoulder
You may experience some other symptoms including:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Weight loss and/or loss of appetite
- Nausea (feeling sick)
- Fever or raised temperature
Secondary Liver cancer
Secondary liver cancer is more common than primary liver cancer as it originates from a cancer which has started somewhere else in the body. Secondary liver cancer most commonly develops from primary cancer of the breast, pancreas, lung, ovary, stomach or bowel.
Things to look out for
Symptoms tend to mirror those of primary liver cancer. They include but are not limited to:
- Yellowing of skin and eye whites known as jaundice
- Abdominal swelling caused by accumulation of fluid
- Pain within the abdominal area or the right shoulder
You may experience some other symptoms including:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Weight loss and/or loss of appetite
- Nausea (feeling sick)
- Fever or raised temperature
What treatments are available?
The treatments for liver cancer are:
You may have one of these treatments, or a combination. The type or combination of treatments you have will depend on how the cancer was diagnosed and the stage it's at.
The consultant diagnostic and interventional radiologists at Christie Oncology Imaging will be able to provide diagnostic CT, PET/CT and MRI scans which will help to diagnose, stage monitor liver cancer response to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We also provide US/CT guided biopsy to obtain tissue samples which will help to tailor chemotherapy and other treatments to specific tumour characteristics. We may be able to offer an interventional oncology procedure such as biliary procedure, liver vascular procedure (SIRT, TACE), and percutaneous ablation.
More information available:
http://www.thechristieprivatecare.com/cancers-we-treat/liver-cancer/
http://www.thechristieprivatecare.com/cancers-we-treat/liver-cancer-secondary/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/liver-cancer/