Diagnostic basis of liver cancer

Liver cancer refers to malignant tumors that occur in the liver, including primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer. When people talk about liver cancer in daily life, they are mostly referring to primary liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in clinical practice. According to the latest statistics, there are about 600,000 new liver cancer patients in the world each year, ranking fifth among malignant tumors. Primary liver cancer can be divided into hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and mixed liver cancer according to cell typing. So what is the basis for the diagnosis of liver cancer?

(1) Pain in the liver area: usually presents as persistent distending pain or dull pain, sometimes radiating to the right shoulder.
(2) Digestive system symptoms: Loss of appetite is the most common symptom. In severe cases, there may be symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
(3) Systemic symptoms: progressive weight loss, fatigue, etc.
(4) Symptoms of metastatic lesions: Symptoms appear in the corresponding parts of the body.
(5) Physical examination reveals an enlarged, hard, and uneven liver. Sometimes vascular murmurs can be heard, and jaundice and ascites can be seen.
(6) Positional diagnosis: Ultrasound, CT, isotope liver scanning, hepatic angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging all revealed space-occupying lesions in the liver.
(7) Qualitative diagnosis: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is positive, with AFP greater than 200 μg for 8 weeks or AFP greater than 400 μg for 4 weeks. The diagnosis can be made after excluding active hepatitis and embryonal carcinoma of the reproductive system.
(8) Pathological diagnosis: Liver puncture confirmed primary liver cancer.