Advanced-stage liver cancer is difficult to treat and often fatal. Symptoms include abdominal pain, jaundice, and weight loss. Treatment options depend on the patient’s overall health and may include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The cause of liver cancer is often unknown.
When a person has advanced-stage liver cancer, it means that the cancerous cells have spread beyond the liver to other parts of the body. This is a very serious diagnosis, as this stage of liver cancer is more difficult to treat than the early stages. In many cases, a person with this stage of cancer needs aggressive treatment, and some may even need a transplant. For many people with this stage of liver cancer, the disease proves fatal.
There are various stages of liver cancer that a doctor can diagnose a patient with. It is usually desirable to make a diagnosis when the cancer is at an earlier stage. During the early stages of this disease, the cancer is most treatable and the patient has the most desirable prognosis. As cancer progresses, it affects more of a patient’s body and their chances of survival decrease dramatically. When a person is diagnosed with late-stage cancer, other organs are often involved and treatment success is less likely.
A patient can experience many different symptoms when they have advanced stage liver cancer. They include pain in the right side of the abdomen and a general feeling of being unwell. Patients may also experience loss of appetite and weight, and many develop jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes. In many cases, a person with advanced liver cancer will also experience other symptoms as a result of the effects of the treatment they are receiving or as the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. Scarring of the liver can also lead to symptoms such as mental confusion, kidney problems, swelling in the legs and gastrointestinal difficulties.
The treatments used for late-stage liver cancer depend on the patient’s doctor’s recommendations, which typically depend on the patient’s unique prognosis and their overall health apart from cancer. Surgery to remove the diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver is an option for some patients. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other treatments aimed at destroying cancer cells are also often used. When the patient is considered terminally ill, treatment may instead focus on keeping the patient comfortable for the rest of their life.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to pinpoint a cause of liver cancer, but there are a few things that make it more likely to develop. For example, a person may face a higher risk of developing this disease if he or she has a chronic hepatitis infection or a lot of liver scarring. In many cases, however, doctors are unable to pinpoint the cause.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
