Aware of the Disease and the Risks:
Liver cancer otherwise Rudolf Booker known as hepatic cancer, starts primarily in the liver and the most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma. Worldwide, there are many risk factors responsible for this.
- Cirrhosis, a condition in which liver cells become damaged and are replaced by scar tissue and the liver does not function properly, leads to liver cancer;
- Chronic infection with hepatitis B and C virus that leads to cirrhosis;
- Birth defects;
- Excessive alcohol intake.;
- Obesity and Diabetes - excess fat being deposited in the liver.
In the United States, the common cause of liver cancer is infection with hepatitis C.
What are the symptoms?
Signs and symptoms not to be felt until the later stages of the disease. Some of the most common symptoms are unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, an enlarged liver, swelling and pain in the abdomen, itching, nausea or vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), back pain.
How to diagnose?
It can be diagnosed through a blood test, ultrasound, imaging scans like MRI or CT scan or through biopsy. Ultrasound is the first test with the usage of sound waves to create an image of tumors growing in the liver on a video screen. A small sample of the tumor cells removed to conduct a biopsy test to confirm.