What are the characteristics of metastatic liver cancer? Analysis on the prevention of secondary liver cancer

Cancer is one of the common diseases that threaten human life. Its biggest feature is that the cells are uncontrolled, grow wildly, and are metastatic, and can invade other tissues of the body. The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It receives blood from both the hepatic artery and the portal vein. In addition, the blood flow of the digestive organs is returned through the portal vein. The blood flow is abnormally abundant, making it a common site of cancer metastasis. About one-third of tumors can metastasize to the liver. So which parts of the tumor are prone to metastasize to the liver? What are the characteristics of metastatic liver cancer? How should it be treated? Let's talk about the related issues of metastatic liver cancer.

Metastatic liver cancer, also known as secondary liver cancer, originates from other organs in the body and metastasizes to the liver. We have said that cancer metastasizes through four pathways: hematogenous metastasis, lymphatic metastasis, direct invasion, and implantation metastasis. Among them, hematogenous metastasis is the most common form of metastatic liver cancer. According to statistics, except for brain tumors, almost all tumors can metastasize to the liver. The most common are gastrointestinal tumors: gallbladder cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Chest tumors: lung cancer and esophageal cancer. Other common ones include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma, etc. Among them, more than 50% of colorectal cancer patients will have liver metastasis.

Metastatic liver cancer is different from primary liver cancer and has some characteristics of its own.

1. Symptoms:

AThe course of metastatic liver cancer is relatively mild. In terms of symptoms, there may only be manifestations of primary cancer without any signs of liver involvement.

B. Metastatic liver cancer usually occurs without a background of liver disease, and the liver may be normal in size. However, if extensive liver metastasis occurs, obvious enlargement may occur.

C The liver lesions are often multi-nodular and the nodules are mostly similar in size.

D Metastatic liver cancer has a reduced hepatic arterial blood supply, especially if the tumor originates from the gastrointestinal tract.

E The metastatic lesion is hard or tender, and an umbilical depression may appear in the center of the nodule due to necrosis, and a friction sound can be heard.

FSplenomegaly is common even when the portal vein is patent.

2 Laboratory examination:

Hepatitis A liver function is mostly normal, with occasional mild abnormalities, and elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALp) is common.

B In tumor marker tests, alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) is mostly normal, or occasionally slightly elevated.

For patients whose primary lesions are located in the gastrointestinal tract, breast, or lung, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) may be significantly elevated, which is more valuable for diagnosis. The sensitivity can reach 84-93%.

CA19-9: It often increases when pancreatic cancer metastasizes to the liver.

3. Imaging examination:

AB ultrasound examination: The metastatic lesions are round or quasi-circular with clear boundaries, and the typical image shows a "bull's eye sign" or "concentric circle" sign.

BCT examination: It is a relatively accurate method for diagnosing metastatic liver cancer. CT shows mixed uneven equal density or low density, and nodules may show ring enhancement in the arterial phase. It is generally not accompanied by cirrhosis and does not invade the portal vein to form cancer thrombus.

C MRI examination: Most lesions showed uneven enhancement or ring-shaped enhancement, and there was no enhancement in the central necrotic area.

The primary cancer lesion has metastasized to the liver, indicating that the primary cancer is in the late stage. Although it is in the late stage, it is not untreatable. Surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation are the most effective methods for treating metastatic liver cancer. Other treatments include transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), anhydrous alcohol injection (pEI), biological therapy, etc. These treatments, used alone or in combination, are the key to curing or prolonging the patient's life.

Understand the relevant knowledge about metastatic liver cancer, actively cooperate with doctors' treatment, and light up the hope of life for patients with metastatic liver cancer.

Prevention of Secondary Liver Cancer

Avoid emotional fluctuations, maintain an optimistic mental state, and try to avoid or reduce various stimulating activities that cause emotional fluctuations. Avoid overwork: Excessive mental or physical labor can not only reduce the body's resistance of liver cancer patients, promote the recurrence or metastasis of cancer, but also aggravate liver damage and lead to worsening of the disease. Get rid of bad lifestyles or habits: avoid smoking and drinking, do not eat moldy food, eat less pickled meat products, etc. Live a regular life, daily life, outdoor activities, diet nutrition, physical exercise, and regularity to avoid infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The prevention and treatment of liver cancer is a long and arduous task.

Expert opinion:

1. Patients with a history of liver diseases such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C should have their blood AFp levels and liver B-ultrasound checked regularly to achieve early detection, diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer.

2. For patients who develop liver cancer on the basis of hepatitis, attention should be paid to the importance of antiviral treatment. Early antiviral treatment can effectively control the progression of liver cancer.

3. Once liver cancer is diagnosed, a reasonable individualized treatment plan for liver cancer should be selected based on the size and location of the tumor, the presence or absence of intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis, and the patient's general condition. Currently, surgical resection is still the most effective means of treating liver cancer. Multimodal comprehensive treatment and multidisciplinary team joint diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the patient's prognosis.

4. Liver transplantation is an effective means of curing liver cancer, especially for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma who have cirrhosis and liver decompensation. However, its indications should be strictly controlled for advanced liver cancer.

5. Regular follow-up after liver cancer surgery is very important. Imaging examinations and dynamic monitoring of AFp changes should be performed regularly.