Liver Cancer Symptoms and Stages

Rated to be the 5th most common cancer in the world and also as one of the deadliest cancer, liver cancer arises from liver. In general, medical experts refer to the term 'liver cancer' for two types of cancer, arising in and around liver. These two are as follows:

1. Metastatic Liver Cancer: Also called secondary liver cancer, metastatic liver cancer doesn't originate in the liver. Instead, it originates in surrounding organs (stomach, colon, breast, pancreas, lung, etc.) and eventually spreads to the liver.
2. Hepatocellular Cancer: Known as primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, this liver cancer arises from liver. This liver cancer occurs in liver cells (hepatocytes) that occupy 80% of liver tissues.

Medical experts generally, when they refer to liver cancer, mean metastatic liver cancer that spreads in organs around liver. Liver cancer, like any other cancer, occurs in several stages.

Liver Cancer Symptoms and Stages of Liver Cancer
A cancer involving the liver occurs in several stages. Understanding liver cancer can help us to know the severity of this medical condition so that it can be addressed at the earliest.

Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer
Although, liver cancer symptoms and stages are certainly varied, it is unfortunate that in the very initial phases of liver cancer development, liver cancer is asymptotic. By the time liver cancer signs surface, it already has advanced in the later stages. Hence, if you're wondering 'what are the symptoms of final stage of liver cancer', then you've got to be aware of some most common symptoms of advanced stages of liver cancer. Those are as follows:

• Abdominal Pain (mild to severe)
• Weight loss that is unexplained.
• Appetite loss
• Fever
• Jaundice
• Skin Itching
• Confusion, sleeplessness and irritability.
• Nausea
• Fatigue, exhaustion
• Dark Urine
• Accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity known as Ascites

How is Liver Cancer Staged
Stages of liver cancer are decided by certain factors like tumor size, cancer location (either on one lobe or both), extent to which cancer has occurred (whether liver cancer has developed in and around blood vessels or does it occur adjacent to lymph nodes and other organs). In general there are four liver cancer stages.

Stage I: In the first stage, tumor measures 2 cm or less, occurs at one place (doesn't spread) and can be surgically removed.

Stage II: In the 2nd stage of liver cancer, the cancer hasn't yet spread to lymph nodes or blood vessels but it may be confined to several places on a single lobe. Either one or more than one tumor (2 cm size) may be present on the liver lobe. It's possible to remove this tumor surgically.

Stage III: This is called an advanced stage. This stage is further divided into parts viz,

1. Presence of a single tumor or more than one tumor on liver lobe measuring 2 cm or more in size affecting adjacent blood vessels.
2. The tumors may have any size and lymph nodes are affected. Any other organ is not affected in this sub stage. Blood vessels surrounding this area may or may not be affected.

Stage IV: In the most extreme case, stage 4 liver cancer symptoms are at their worst. This stage is further divided into two categories.

1. By now, the cancer has spread in both the liver lobes and it may have even affected lymph nodes, organs, peritoneum and several important blood vessels.
2. In the last and final stage, liver cancer is spread to the farthest point from the origin. There are no treatment measures for the last stage of liver cancer and except pain relieving, nothing much can be done as this cancer spreads to several organs. Liver cancer survival rate is very poor.

Hopefully, this summarized information on liver cancer must have given you an insight about this dangerous disease. Liver cancer needs medical attention and hence it's necessary to treat it before it reaches in the very advanced stage.