signs and symptoms of liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is an uncommon but serious type of cancer that starts in the cells of your liver. The liver, which weighs around 3 pounds in adulthood, is the largest solid organ in your body. It is reddish-brown in colour and is roughly the size of a football. Sitting on the right side of the belly, the liver is vital to the body’s metabolic functions and the immune system. The liver helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove toxins from the bloodstream.

Primary liver cancer is different from secondary liver cancer, where the cancer has started in another part of the body and spread to the liver. There are different types of cancer that can start in the liver, but the most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Other types of liver cancer - such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatoblastoma - are much less common. Meanwhile, a new study done on mice and published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research suggested that showed that eating tomatoes may help in reducing fatty liver disease, inflammation and liver cancer development. 

What are the signs and symptoms of liver cancer?
Most people with primary liver cancer don’t have signs and symptoms in the early stages, which means individuals affected by the condition may not realise until the cancer is progressed to an advanced stage. There are different types of cancer that can start in the liver, but the most common type is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Symptoms, when they do appear, may include the following:

Unintentional weight loss
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal swelling, or pain in the upper abdomen
Weakness and fatigue
Feeling very full after eating- even if you eat small meals
Jaundice - yellowish of your skin and the whites of your eyes
You should seek medical help if you notice any signs or symptoms that worry you.

What causes liver cancer? How is the condition treated?
It’s not clear what exactly causes liver cancer, but there are factors that are known to increase your risk – cirrhosis (damage and scarring of the liver), infection with hepatitis viruses, getting older, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , diabetes, gallstones or gallbladder removal, exposure to certain chemicals such as vinyl chloride, family history, etc.

It is believed that being overweight or obese and eating an unhealthy diet can increase the risk of liver cancer. According to the Cancer Research UK, people who are overweight are more likely to have diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, partly explaining the link.

Treatment options for liver cancer are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or liver transplantation.