What are the early symptoms of liver cancer? Can B-ultrasound detect early liver cancer?

Liver cancer is currently one of the top three malignant tumors in my country. Clinically, liver cancer usually occurs in the middle and late stages. There are some early signals and signs of liver cancer. Ultrasound examination can be used to diagnose liver cancer in its early stages. Today, we are fortunate to have Yang Keli, deputy chief physician of Guangzhou No. 8 People's Hospital, to share with us some common knowledge about early diagnosis of liver cancer.

What are the early symptoms of liver cancer?

The early symptoms of liver cancer are not very obvious, and sometimes there will be symptoms of the digestive system. Because the liver is a silent organ, most patients with early liver cancer do not have any obvious clinical manifestations. When the liver cancer is larger than five centimeters, some patients will experience dull pain and discomfort in the liver area. Many patients with liver cancer develop on the basis of chronic hepatitis, so many patients have some clinical manifestations of hepatitis, such as fatigue, poor appetite, yellow urine, and some have bloating and stomach pain. These are some non-specific clinical manifestations. Therefore, in order to detect early liver cancer, patients are still required to do regular screening to achieve early diagnosis and early treatment.

Can B-ultrasound detect liver cancer in its early stages?

B-ultrasound can detect liver cancer in its early stages, but there is a possibility of misdiagnosis. For early liver cancer, we need to pay attention to the size of the tumor. If the tumor is smaller than one centimeter, or the tumor is located in a special part of the liver close to the diaphragm, B-ultrasound may miss some small liver cancers and patients with liver cancer in special locations. Therefore, for patients with chronic liver disease, when small nodules are found in the liver and B-ultrasound cannot make a clear diagnosis, we still recommend that patients undergo further CT or MRI examinations to clarify the nature of the mass.

Liver cancer is generally not easy to be detected by patients in the early stage, and most of them are found during physical examinations. Therefore, patients who often have digestive tract symptoms, especially some middle-aged and elderly patients, can undergo regular liver cancer screening. Each examination method for liver cancer has its own advantages and disadvantages, and multiple examinations are required if a clear diagnosis is required.