Recognize 6 Symptoms of Liver Cancer to Watch Out for

Liver cancer is a continuous, uncontrollable growth of malignant cells of the liver which causes liver damage and damage to other organs in the body. Liver cancer can originate in the liver (primary) or spread of tumor cells from elsewhere (secondary/metastatic). This cancer has the 6th highest incidence in the world in 2018 and is dominated by men than women (2:1). According to globocan 2018, the mortality rate for liver cancer patients reached 8.2% and was number 4 in the world. In Indonesia, liver cancer is the second most common cancer, 12.4% per 100,000 population according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2019.

Causes of liver cancer
The cause of liver cancer can sometimes be caused by certain conditions. The risk of developing liver cancer can also increase due to hepatitis B and C, alcohol, fatty liver (fatty liver). A small part is caused by: congenital metabolic disorders, autoimmune, drugs.

6 Symptoms of liver cancer
Symptoms of cancer are generally not typical but should be alerted if there are the following 6 complaints:
Tired quickly despite doing routine activities
Eyes and body turn yellow
Palpable lump in the upper right abdomen that feels hard and sometimes lumpy.
Drastic weight loss.
Decreased appetite.
Swollen belly and swollen legs

Enforce the diagnosis of liver cancer
The examinations performed to establish a diagnosis of liver cancer include:
Ultrasound of the abdomen (abdomen): will appear a lump in the liver with a clear size and number of lumps.
Basic laboratory tests such as hemoglobin, SGOT and SGPT, albumin, to liver tumor markers, namely Alpha Feto Protein (AFP).
In patients with primary liver cancer, the AFP results can increase from more than 50 to hundreds.
The combination of abdominal ultrasound and AFP is sufficient to diagnose most cases of liver cancer.
Liver Cancer Management
Management of liver cancer is currently difficult to cure.
Liver cancer tends to be resistant to chemotherapy and radiation.
Early stage.
RFA (radio frequency ablation) for tumors less than 5 cm in size.
Surgical resection (cutting) of the liver for tumors that are still small.
Liver transplant
Final stage
TACE (trans arterial chemo embolization) administration of chemotherapy drugs through a vein with the aim of killing the tumor. This procedure is quite difficult and success decreases as the size of the cancer enlarges.
Oral chemotherapy (Nexavar, Lenvatinib) only palliative, expensive.

Liver Cancer Prevention
Hermina's friend, of course, prevention is better than cure. Let's look at the prevention of liver cancer:
Doing regular medical check-ups every year, especially if there is an unclear history of jaundice as a child or someone in your family has had jaundice and even died of liver disease.
Couples who are getting married should have hepatitis screening tests such as HBsAg and anti-HCV.
Pregnant women should be tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV during pregnancy and seek treatment immediately if the results are positive.
Vaccination for newborns to completion
Vaccination for partners whose antibody levels (antiHbs are still < 10)
Preventing the spread of hepatitis B and C: not changing partners or having unsafe sex, not sharing injections, avoiding unsterile tattoos,
Limit the number of alcoholic drinks consumed.
Change a healthy lifestyle such as eating lots of fiber, maintaining weight, not smoking
Well Friends Hermina, of course, knowing the symptoms and causes early can make you more alert and get treatment early. In addition, it can make your family aware of the importance of healthy living to prevent complications that may occur.
Greetings Hermina