Can albumin be transfused in advanced liver cancer? Yes

Can albumin be transfused in the late stage of liver cancer? The liver is called the "most silent organ". It is only as big as a human palm, but it is the most important detoxification organ in our body. When there is a problem with the liver in the early stage, it is painless and has no symptoms, so it is not easy to be discovered. By the time symptoms appear, it is already in the late stage of liver disease, and the difficulty of treatment has also increased. Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world. It is highly malignant and the second most fatal cancer in my country. It is known as the "king of cancer." Therefore, regular physical examinations are particularly important.

What are the symptoms of patients with advanced liver cancer?

1. Obvious pain in the liver area

Pain in the liver area is the most common symptom of advanced liver disease, such as:

① When the tumor grows larger, it will pull on the liver capsule and gastrointestinal tract, causing paroxysmal pain in the patient.

② When the tumor ruptures and causes hemorrhage under the liver capsule or intraperitoneal hemorrhage, the patient will experience abdominal pain;

③When a tumor grows at the top of the diaphragm of the right lobe of the liver, the pain will manifest in the right shoulder or right back.

2. Digestive tract symptoms

Damage to liver function and the growth of tumors can create a sense of pressure on the internal organs, causing patients to experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal distension, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

3. Fever

Liver cancer patients often have fever due to tumor necrosis or tumor metabolic products, and their body temperature can be measured at around 37.5 to 38 degrees Celsius.

4. Weight loss and fatigue

5. Progressive hepatomegaly or upper abdominal mass

6. Systemic symptoms

In the late stage of liver disease, liver function is lost, and patients have coagulation disorders, and are prone to subcutaneous ecchymosis, nose bleeding, and gum bleeding. Liver cancer patients also have signs of cirrhosis such as liver palms, spider nevi, and jaundice. A small number of liver cancer patients may have symptoms of metastasis, such as metastasis to the lungs, causing hemoptysis. Metastasis to the chest, you may have chest pain and bloody pleural effusion.

What should patients with advanced liver cancer eat?

Patients with advanced liver cancer are prone to symptoms of digestive system diseases, such as loss of appetite, abdominal distension, nausea and vomiting, so patients should pay more attention to their diet.

1. Improve the absorption efficiency of liver cancer patients

Because liver cancer patients have difficulty digesting and absorbing fat, they should avoid greasy foods such as fatty meat and fried foods, and choose light, soft and easy-to-digest foods. They can eat in multiple times, eat small meals frequently, to facilitate patient absorption.

2. Avoid eating hard, angular foods

Patients with advanced liver cancer and portal hypertension due to liver cirrhosis will have esophageal and gastric fundus varicose veins in the mucosa of the esophagus and gastric fundus, which are prone to rupture and bleeding. Due to poor coagulation function, bleeding is difficult to stop, and in severe cases, improper hemostasis can be fatal. Therefore, you must be especially careful when eating and try to avoid hard foods such as peanuts and nuts. You must also be careful about swallowing fish bones and chicken bones to avoid varicose vein rupture and bleeding.

3. Control protein intake and reduce the source of ammonia

Patients with liver dysfunction in the late stage of liver cancer have increased blood ammonia levels, which can easily lead to hepatic encephalopathy, hepatic coma, and death. Such patients should strictly control protein intake and reduce nitrogen sources in their diet.

Patients with advanced liver cancer need to determine whether additional albumin supplementation is needed based on their albumin levels. Albumin is an important serum protein component secreted by the liver, which has the functions of nutrition, carrying body substances, and maintaining osmotic pressure, but it cannot improve the body's immunity. Patients with advanced liver cancer have poor liver function and find it difficult to synthesize albumin themselves, resulting in low albumin levels. Necessary exogenous infusions are required. If the albumin level is not low, no additional albumin infusion is required.