What are the typical symptoms of liver cancer

What are the typical symptoms of liver cancer?

Some typical symptoms of liver cancer only occur when the disease progresses to the middle and late stages, when the opportunity for surgery is often lost, so regular self-examination is very important.

1. Early symptoms

It takes about two years for liver cancer to develop from the first cancer cell in the liver to conscious symptoms. During this period, the patient may not have any symptoms or signs. Only a few patients may experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, upper abdominal distress, abdominal pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, and some patients may experience mild liver swelling, jaundice, and skin itching. But under normal circumstances, these symptoms are difficult to be taken seriously, so many liver cancer patients often enter the middle and late stages clinically.

2. Symptoms in the middle and late stages

1. Pain in the liver area. The most common symptoms are intermittent or persistent dull pain or swelling pain. The rapid growth of the tumor will tighten the liver capsule and invade the diaphragm. The pain may radiate to the right shoulder or right back. A right posterior tumor may cause right waist pain. Sudden severe abdominal pain and peritoneal irritation indicate subcapsular bleeding of the cancerous nodule or abdominal rupture.

2. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as loss of appetite, indigestion, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, are easily overlooked due to their lack of specificity.

3. Fatigue, weight loss, general weakness, and a few patients in the late stage may develop cachexia.

4. Fever is generally low-grade, occasionally reaching above 39°C for continuous fever, low-grade fever in the afternoon, or sudden high fever. Fever is related to the absorption of cancer necrosis products. Cancer compresses or invades the bile duct and causes biliary infection.