How to diagnose liver cancer and detect it early? Introducing the self-examination method for liver cancer

Liver cancer is a terrible cancer. No one wants to get it. Therefore, we need to take active measures to prevent it and stay away from the threat of liver cancer. So, how should liver cancer be discovered and diagnosed? There are many symptoms of liver diseases that are similar to liver cancer. How should we distinguish them in this case?

How is liver cancer diagnosed?

B-ultrasound can only detect suspicious nodules. CT or MRI is needed to confirm the diagnosis. If enhanced CT has the characteristic of "fast in and fast out" of contrast agent, it can generally confirm the diagnosis.

Alpha-fetoprotein is a marker for diagnosing liver cancer, but an increase in its level does not necessarily mean liver cancer; nor does an increase in its level necessarily mean liver cancer.

Liver cancer diagnosis generally does not require puncture, as cancerous nodules smaller than 3 cm are difficult to puncture and may cause tumor spread along the path of the puncture needle.

Self-examination methods for liver cancer

Everyone must know about liver cancer self-examination and treatment. Let's ask experts to tell us the diagnosis method of liver cancer. The diagnosis method of liver cancer requires us to understand the symptoms of liver cancer and some common sense issues in order to help our own treatment.

If the liver is invaded by cancer cells, the fuel supply of the whole body will be reduced, resulting in lack of heat energy, fatigue and easy exhaustion. If you are just tired or lazy, it may be due to a cold or excessive fatigue. How to self-examine liver cancer is very important. Few people do not realize that they may have liver cancer, so the disease is delayed.

If the cancerous tissue is slightly larger, it may cause a dull feeling in the pit of the stomach or a dull pain in the upper right part of the abdomen. Even if it does not reach the level of pain, there will be a sense of oppression and discomfort. How to self-check for liver cancer can be determined from the following points. When suffering from liver cancer, there are often symptoms caused by stomach disorders, including loss of appetite, nausea, fullness after eating, and stomach discomfort. If you lose weight, have an unexplained fever from time to time, and develop jaundice, you must go to the hospital for diagnosis by methods such as alpha-fetoprotein, B-ultrasound, CT, and X-ray hepatic angiography.

Diseases that are easily misdiagnosed as liver cancer

Granuloma: Some female patients may have isolated, smooth, and complete nodules in the liver due to oral contraceptives, parasitic infections, or autoimmune disorders, which are difficult to distinguish from liver cancer on imaging. Ultrasound or CT-guided histological examination is recommended.

Cirrhosis nodules: Cirrhosis nodules are most likely to be diagnosed as liver cancer, because most primary liver cancers will develop into cirrhosis, and patients with severe cirrhosis will have a large number of hyperplastic nodules, which are difficult to distinguish from early liver cancer. It is recommended to perform an ultrasound or CT-guided puncture biopsy for accurate diagnosis.

Liver abscess: Patients have clinical manifestations such as fatigue, low fever, weight loss, and discomfort in the liver area. It is difficult to differentiate from liver cancer in the early stages of the disease and requires a comprehensive judgment based on biochemical indicators such as blood routine, AFp, and liver function.

Hepatic hemangioma: Hepatic hemangioma is easily confused with hepatocellular carcinoma. In fact, hemangioma grows slowly and generally has no history of chronic liver disease. There are no clinical manifestations such as fatigue, poor appetite, abdominal distension, etc., and there will be no physical signs such as liver palms, spider nevi, jaundice, and edema of both lower limbs.

Uneven fatty liver: Some patients with fatty liver have uneven fat accumulation, which is sometimes difficult to distinguish from liver cancer. Clinically, fatty liver does not have the systemic manifestations of liver cancer patients, such as abdominal distension, diarrhea, discomfort in the right liver area, and weight loss.

Expert comment: If you want to make a clear diagnosis, you should also pay attention to the following risk factors: whether you have a history of chronic hepatitis B or C, whether you have a history of eating or contacting aflatoxin, whether you have a history of long-term alcoholism, and whether you have a family history of liver cancer. In addition, liver cancer patients may have mild icteric sclera, liver palms, and spider nevi; in the middle and late stages, they may have swollen lymph nodes and mild edema in both lower limbs, while patients with benign lesions do not have the above signs.