7 Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer That You Should Not Underestimate

7 Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer That You Should Not Underestimate

Cancer cells can grow anywhere, including in your liver. If not treated promptly with proper treatment, cancer cells can become malignant and continue to damage the surrounding tissue, causing fatal complications. Unfortunately many people are not aware they have this disease. Until now there is also no medical test available specifically to detect liver cancer. Therefore you should know what are the signs and symptoms of liver cancer as early as possible through the following review.


Signs and symptoms of liver cancer that you need to pay attention to

The liver is an important organ whose job is to filter and cleanse the blood of harmful substances, digest fat, make protein, and store glycogen as an energy source. Well, this organ consists of various cells. If liver cells work or grow abnormally, liver cancer can occur.

Liver cancer occurs due to cancer cells directly attacking the liver (primary liver cancer) as well as due to the spread of cancer cells in other tissues that have reached the liver (liver metastasis). Primary liver cancer usually causes symptoms relatively early compared to metastatic cancer.

Liver cancer has several types, but generally causes common symptoms such as:

 1. A lump in the stomach
The appearance of a hard lump or swelling in the area under the ribs on the right side, is the first sign of liver cancer. These lumps sometimes do not cause pain, but will make you feel uncomfortable. If pain appears in the upper left abdominal area, it means liver cancer has caused the spleen to swell.

2. Right-sided stomach pain
Swelling in the liver that continues to occur will cause great pressure on the surrounding tissue or nerves. As a result, pain will appear around the right side of the stomach.

You may feel abdominal pain on the right when you take a deep breath because the pressure under the right rib will be getting bigger.
3. Pain in the right shoulder
The amount of pressure due to swelling that affects the nerves can spread to the shoulder area. Shoulder pain is a warning that the problematic area is not only on the shoulder blades but can also originate in the heart.

Although pain will generally appear around the right shoulder, there are also some patients who feel pain on both sides of the shoulder even to the back.

4. Yellowing skin
Changes in skin color, whites of the eyes, and nails that turn yellow are common symptoms of jaundice (jaundice). Jaundice occurs due to accumulation of bile salts on the skin because the liver is not functioning properly.

Usually these symptoms appear accompanied by the appearance of itching on the skin because liver function does not work well. In addition, some people with this condition experience a change in the color of urine to turn pale or vaginal discharge.

When viewed as a whole, the symptoms of liver cancer are almost similar to bile cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). It's just that, symptoms of jaundice will appear first in people with bile cancer.
5. Indigestion and shortness of breath
In addition to swelling, liver cancer will also cause a buildup of fluid in the stomach (ascites). This condition makes the stomach become bloated, sometimes making stomach nausea and vomiting several times.

These digestive disorders make you feel full faster and have no appetite. If left unchecked, the nutrients the body needs are not fulfilled and the body weight will continue to decline.

In addition to causing digestive disorders, fluid that continues to accumulate can enter the lungs and cause respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath.

6. Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom experienced by all cancer patients. However, fatigue due to cancer is different from the usual fatigue that will disappear if you have rested. Cancer fatigue usually persists for 6 to 12 months.

7. Rare symptoms
In certain cases, liver cancer can cause rare symptoms, such as gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), and shrinking testicles. This condition occurs because the liver's function to produce certain hormones is disrupted.