What are the clinical manifestations of metastatic liver cancer

Metastatic liver cancer is also called secondary liver cancer. Due to the characteristics of liver blood supply and the gaps between hepatic sinusoidal epithelial cells, tumors can more easily enter the liver parenchyma. Nearly 50% of malignant tumors metastasize to the liver, which is higher than the incidence of lung metastasis. Autopsies show that the incidence of metastatic liver cancer in my country is 1.2 times that of primary liver cancer, while in Western countries it is 20 to 64.5 times; cancers of many organs can metastasize to the liver, especially gastrointestinal cancers, about 60% of gastrointestinal malignant tumors can metastasize to the liver, followed by breast cancer at about 35%; others such as pancreatic cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and kidney cancer

【Clinical manifestations】

The clinical manifestations of metastatic liver cancer are very similar to those of primary liver cancer, but it develops more slowly and has milder symptoms than the latter. If liver metastases coexist with cancer in the primary organ, the main manifestations are symptoms caused by the primary cancer outside the liver, while the symptoms of the liver are mild or not obvious, and the cancer can only be found during physical examination or laparotomy. Some patients also have symptoms of metastatic liver cancer, but their primary lesions are very hidden and difficult to detect. If liver metastases appear after the primary lesion is removed, the patient often complains of discomfort or dull pain in the upper abdomen or liver area. As the disease progresses, the patient also has symptoms such as fatigue, lack of appetite, weight loss or fever. During physical examination, an enlarged liver or hard and tender cancer nodules can be felt in the upper abdomen. Late-stage patients may experience anemia, jaundice and ascites, loss of liver glycogen reserve function, and even fulminant liver failure and hypoglycemic coma. When the vena cava is compressed, lower limb swelling and abdominal wall varicose veins will occur. .

【diagnosis】

The key to diagnosing metastatic liver cancer is to find the primary cancer lesions. If symptoms such as pain in the liver area are found together with the presence of primary cancer lesions in other organs, the diagnosis can usually be confirmed.