To which parts of the body do liver cancer cells easily metastasize

Liver cancer is the second most common cancer disease after gastric cancer. This disease can be clinically divided into malignant liver cancer tumors and benign liver cancer tumors. Generally speaking, if it is a malignant liver cancer tumor, the cancer cells will easily metastasize, causing other organs to be affected by cancer. So where are the cancer cells of liver cancer likely to metastasize to?

After invading the intrahepatic sinusoids, liver cancer cells may invade the portal vein and hepatic vein branches, forming tumor thrombi in the portal vein, hepatic vein, and even the inferior vena cava. They may also invade the bile ducts, forming tumor thrombi in the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts, causing unilateral or bilateral dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts, and even obstructive jaundice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma can also metastasize to lymph nodes through the lymphatic system, but this is much less common than cholangiocarcinoma, and usually occurs first in the hilar lymph nodes. Perihepatic, peripancreatic, and retroperitoneal lymph nodes are also often involved, and para-aortic and supraclavicular lymph node metastases can also be seen. Cholangiocarcinoma most often metastasizes to lymph nodes

Liver cancer can directly spread and infiltrate adjacent organs and tissues, and even penetrate the stomach wall and diaphragm, causing gastric perforation and hemorrhage in the chest cavity. Rupture of the hepatocellular carcinoma ducts can cause abdominal implantation. The lungs are the most common extrahepatic metastasis, followed by bones, adrenal glands, diaphragms, peritoneum, stomach, kidneys, brain, spleen, and mediastinum. The incidence of lung metastasis accounts for 49.1% of the total number of metastases. Bone metastasis is common in the spine, femur, and ribs.

It seems that liver cancer cells are not only easy to metastasize, but also affect multiple surrounding organs at the same time. Therefore, in order to prevent the spread of cancer, it is recommended that liver cancer patients go to the hospital for chemotherapy as soon as possible. Only through chemotherapy can the liver cancer cells that are easy to metastasize be eliminated.