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According to the American Cancer Society. more than 41,000 people will be diagnosed with liver cancer in the U.S. this year, and more than 29,000 people will die from the disease
Lionel Kankeu Fonkoua, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center medical oncologist, discusses prevention and treatment.
The most common form of primary liver cancer — cancer that starts in the liver — is called hepatocellular carcinoma. This type of cancer often develops in people with chronic liver diseases, such as hepatitis.
"It’s due to a chronic inflammation that leads to liver damage, cirrhosis and eventually to cancer," says Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Most people don't have symptoms in the early stages of primary liver cancer. But when symptoms do appear, they may include:
- Yellowing of the eyes and skin.
- Unexpected weight loss.
- Upper abdominal pain.
- White, chalky stools.
Liver cancer treatments
Several promising treatments to manage the disease include targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
"Immunotherapy is kind of a novel type of cancer treatment that is designed to boost your immune system to attack the cancer," explains Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol consumption, and getting vaccinated against hepatitis B can reduce your risk of liver cancer.
"The hope is that we can trigger a tumor specific immune response for every patient,” says Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua.
Learn more about liver cancer and find a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic.
A version of this article was originally published on the Mayo Clinic News Network.
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I recently had an Ultrasound. These were the findings:
Visualized portions of the pancreas are unremarkable. Negative
sonographic Murphy's sign. Thin wall nondistended gallbladder
without filling defects. Patent IVC, portal vein and hepatic
veins with normal directional flow and spectral waveforms. Common
bile duct is nondilated. Liver demonstrates a smooth contour with
diffusely increased hepatic echogenicity. Relatively
well-circumscribed 3 cm capsular left hepatic lobe lesion without
demonstrable internal vascularity. There is a large portions of
the right kidney are unremarkable. No ascites or adenopathy.
I had an occasional scratching feeling primarily on my arms, chest and scalp.
@tomahakn, to connect with other people talking about liver cancer, please join the conversations here:
- Liver Cancer Support Group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/liver-cancer/
Tom, it looks like you've received the results of your ultrasound before you 've had the chance to speak with your doctor. Have you had a consult in the meantime? What did you find out? How are you doing?