Liver Cancer
What is adult primary
liver cancer?
Adult
primary liver cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells start
to grow in the tissues of the liver. The liver is one of the largest
organs in the body, filling the upper right side of the abdomen and
protected by the rib cage. The liver has many functions. It has an
important role in making food into energy and also filters and stores
blood.
People
who have hepatitis B or C (viral infections of the liver) or a disease of
the liver called cirrhosis are more likely than other people to get adult
primary liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that
has spread from another place in the body to the liver.
A doctor should be seen if the following symptoms appear: a hard lump just
below the rib cage on the right side where the liver has swollen,
discomfort in the upper abdomen on the right side, pain around the right
shoulder blade, or yellowing of the skin (jaundice).
If
there are symptoms, a doctor may order special x-rays, such as a computed
tomographic scan or a liver scan. If a lump is seen on an x-ray, a doctor
may use a needle inserted into the abdomen to remove a small amount of
tissue from the liver. This procedure is called a needle biopsy, and a
doctor usually will use an x-ray for guidance. The doctor will have the
tissue looked at under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells.
Before the test, a patient will be given a local anesthetic (a drug that
causes loss of feeling for a short period of time) in the area so that no
pain is felt.
A doctor may also want to look at the liver with an instrument called a
laparoscope, which is a small tube-shaped instrument with a light on the
end. For this test, a small cut is made in the abdomen so that the
laparoscope can be inserted. The doctor may also take a small piece of
tissue (biopsy specimen) during the laparoscopy and look at it under the
microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. An anesthetic will be
given so no pain is felt.
A doctor may also order an examination called an angiography. During this
examination, a tube (catheter) is inserted into the main blood vessel that
takes blood to the liver. Dye is then injected through the tube so that
the blood vessels in the liver can be seen on an x-ray. Angiography can
help a doctor tell whether the cancer is primary liver cancer or cancer
that has spread from another part of the body. This test is usually done
in the hospital.
Certain
blood tests (such as alpha-fetoprotein, or AFP) may also help a doctor
diagnose primary liver cancer.
The
chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the stage
of the cancer (whether it is just in the liver or has spread to other
places) and the patient's general state of health.
Stages of adult primary liver
cancer :
Once
adult primary liver cancer is found, more tests will be done to find out
if the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body (staging). The
following stages are used for adult primary liver cancer:
Localized unresectable:
Cancer
is found only in one part of the liver, but the cancer cannot be totally
removed.
Advanced:
Cancer
has spread through much of the liver or to other parts of the body, name
secondary cancer.
Recurrent:
Recurrent
disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been
operated. It may come back in the liver or in another part of the body.
How adult primary liver cancer is
treated
There
are treatments for all patients with adult primary liver cancer. Many
kinds of treatment are used:
1-surgery (taking out the cancer in
an operation)
2-radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells)
3-chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells)
Surgery
may be used to take out the cancer or to replace the liver. Resection of
the liver takes out the part of the liver where the cancer is found. A
liver transplant is the removal of the entire liver and replacement with a
healthy liver donated from someone else. Very few patients with liver
cancer are eligible for this procedure and remember the risk is quite
high.After effects and rejection are still in the studies.
Radiation
may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy)
or from putting materials that contain radiation through thin plastic
tubes (internal radiation therapy) in the area where the cancer cells are
found. Drugs may be given with the radiation therapy to make the cancer
cells more sensitive to radiation (radiosensitization).
Radiation
may also be given by attaching radioactive substances to antibodies (radiolabeled
antibodies) that search out certain cells in the liver. Antibodies are
made by the body to fight germs and other harmful things; each antibody
fights specific cells. The side effects can be very drastic but could be
controlled by acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Chemotherapy
is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for liver cancer is
usually put into the body by inserting a needle into a vein or artery.
This type of chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug
enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer
cells outside the liver. In another type of chemotherapy called regional
chemotherapy, a small pump containing drugs is placed in the body. The
pump puts drugs directly into the blood vessels that go to the tumor.
Chemoembolization
of the hepatic artery involves blocking the hepatic artery (the major
artery that supplies blood to the liver) and then injecting chemotherapy
drugs between the blockage and the liver, using the liver's arteries to
deliver the chemotherapy throughout the liver.There side effects is very
dristic such as total lost of hair,become very tire and dry up
etc,etc.This could well be reduce and normalise with our acupucture and
herbal medicine.
If
a doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the
operation, the patient may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any
remaining cells. Chemotherapy that is given after surgery to remove the
cancer is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
Hyperthermia
(warming the body to kill cancer cells) and biological therapy (using the
body's immune system to fight cancer) are being tested in clinical trials.
Chinese Master's is finaling this sudy in the herbal and acupuncture area.
Hyperthermia
therapy is the use of a special machine to heat the body for a certain
period of time to kill cancer cells. Because cancer cells are often more
sensitive to heat than normal cells, the cancer cells die and the tumor
shrinks.
Treatment by stage
Treatments
for adult primary liver cancer depend on the stage of the disease the
condition of the liver, and the patient's age and general health. Standard
treatment may be considered, based on its effectiveness in patients in
past studies, or participation into a clinical trial. Many patients are
not cured with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have
more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are
designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the
most up-to-date information.
ADVANCED
ADULT PRIMARY LIVER CANCER
Treatment
of advanced adult primary liver cancer depends on what treatment a patient
has already received, the part of the body where the cancer has come back,
whether the liver has cirrhosis, and other factors.
RECURRENT
ADULT PRIMARY LIVER CANCER
Treatment
of recurrent adult primary liver cancer depends on what treatment a
patient has already received, the part of the body where the cancer has
come back, whether the liver has cirrhosis, and other factors. Concultion
our rates of treating liver cancer have reach a remarkerble lever until
not many western universities can belief.
HEPATOCIRRHOSIS
Hepatocirrhosis(HC)
is a chronic disease which afects the entire body. Its pathological
features include degeneration,necrosis and regeneration of the hepatic
cells; proliferation of hepatic fibrous tissue,and disturbance of the
normal hipatic struture which lead to deformation and cirrhosis of the
liver.Than the term HEPATOCIRRHOSIS is form.
This
could be cure usually before the patient gets into coma. Usually it takes
about 3weeks to 6 months to cure.
LIVER CANCER HERBAL TREATMENT
Liver cancer growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself), or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, hepatomegaly, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction.
LIVER CANCER HERBAL TREATMENT
Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging, or may be present in patients as an abdominal mass, hepatomegaly, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction...
ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT FOR LIVER CANCER
The liver is made up of different cell types (e.g., bile ducts, blood vessels, and fat-storing cells). However, liver cells (hepatocytes) make up 80% of the liver tissue.
CANCER HERBS FOR LIVER CANCER
When patients or physicians speak of liver cancer, however, they are often referring to cancer that has spread to the liver, having originated in other organs (such as the colon, stomach, pancreas, breast, and lung).