More than 70 percent of patients in the United States who were diagnosed with liver cancer also suffered from cirrhosis of the liver. As we all know, cirrhosis is also a major cause of liver cancer and it usually occurs on condition that the liver cells are damaged and die due to chronic diseases of the liver. Some experts pointed out that, if the normal cells are extensively damaged, they will turn into cancerous cells after a period of time. Therefore, the patients with cirrhosis should pay more attention in daily life so as to prevent the development of liver cancer.

Causes of cirrhosis of liver

It is well known that chronic hepatitis is a major cause for cirrhosis of liver. Hepatitis C and hepatitis B viruses can spread by contact with infected body fluids. Therefore, the best way to avoid hepatitis B and C is to get rid of intravenous drug abuse and unsafe sex. Secondly, excessive consumption of alcohol can also contribute to cirrhosis of liver. The amount of alcohol you need to drink to cause cirrhosis varies from person to person. Therefore, you should control the amount of consumption moderately. Furthermore, the excessive intake of fat can also lead to cirrhosis o for that the normal live cells will be replaced by fatty cells and cirrhosis of liver develops eventually.

Common signs and symptoms of cirrhosis

Generally speaking, there is absence of obvious symptoms and signs at early stage of cirrhosis. However, as it gets worse gradually, some common symptoms and signs will present, including fatigue, right-side abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss and so on.

On the whole, people should pay special attention to these risky factors and keep a close eye on these symptoms so that they can detect it as early as possible. Then, it is absolutely necessary for them to go to the hospital for further examination and treatment.

Recently, a group of radiologists from John Hopkins and Dutch produced real-time images of liver tumors and their surrounding blood vessels through using two successive pairs of specialized CT scans. The images could indicate whether whether the targeted chemotherapy did or did not block the tumors' blood supply and whether repeat or more powerful treatments were needed within a minute. The paper about the development of this new kind of imaging technique will ne published in the journal of Radiology.

It produces significant meaning in the medical field for cancer treatment for that this latest scanning method can give us a feedback about the value of injecting antitumor drugs directly into large liver tumors and their surrounding blood vessels. In other words, it can further provide us with guidance for following treatment. Furthermore, the paired application of cone-beam CT scans has been applied by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For patients with liver cancer, it is a big news for that they don’t need to wait for weeks to find out whether the chemoembolization is successful in fighting their liver cancer. The dual-phase cone-beam CT can prevent the occurrence of metastasis and compromise chances of remission. Apart from chemoembolization, are there some other options for patients with liver cancer? Certainly, cell-based immunotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine also play an important role in the treatment of liver cancer. Cell-based immunotherapy emerged as the latest therapy for cancer in recent years for that it can effectively kill residual cancer cells in the body after the surgery. Furthermore, it can strengthen the patients’ immunity and quality of life from the long term.

Apart from that, traditional Chinese medicine can also used as a supportive treatment method for that most chemical drugs may produce toxic effect to the liver and further damage the hepatic function. However, some herbs can protect the liver from damage and further strengthen the patients’ immunity. Consequently, in order to improve the therapeutic effect of liver cancer, both cell-based immunotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine should be applied as the supportive treatment for liver cancer after those traditional treatments.  

As we all know, the development of liver cancer is associated with many relevant risk factors. Therefore, we should try to get rid of these risk factors in daily life so as to reduce the risk of liver cancer. Then, we will illustrate how to reduce the danger of liver cancer in the following part. 1.     Reduce your risk of cirrhosis

It is well known that some liver cancer can be attributed to cirrhosis. As a result, people should reduce the risk of cirrhosis through the following key points: in the first place, people should control the amount of the alcohol for the excessive consumption of alcohol can contribute to alcoholic fatty liver and further progress to cirrhosis; secondly, you should maintain a healthy weight for that excessive intake of fat may do great harm to the liver and other organs of the body. As a whole, in daily life, people should spare great efforts to reduce their risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.

2.  Avoiding and treating hepatitis infections

According to the results of clinical data, the most significant risk factor for liver cancer is chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Therefore, people should get rid of sharing needles. Besides, the vaccine can also be used to reduce the risk of hepatitis and liver cancer. As a result, people at high risk for hepatitis B or C should be tested for these infections so they can be watched for liver disease and treated if needed. 

3. Limiting exposure to cancer-causing chemical

It is well known that chemical carcinogenic substance is also an important risk factor for the development of liver cancer. Changing the way certain grains are stored in tropical and subtropical countries could reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances such as aflatoxins. Apart from that, many developed countries already have regulations to prevent and monitor grain contamination. Furthermore, these countries also have regulations to protect consumers and workers from certain chemicals known to cause liver cancer. For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the allowable level of arsenic in drinking water in the United States. But this may continue to be a problem in areas of the world where naturally occurring arsenic commonly gets into drinking water. 

It is estimated that totally 20,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer annually in the United States. Therefore, in order to better prevent the development of liver cancer, we should get familiar with some signs and symptoms of liver cancer at early stage. Then, we will demonstrate some common signs and symptoms of liver cancer in the following part.

Abdominal Pain or Swelling

The liver is an organ located within the upper right portion of the abdomen and can produce certain enzymes involved in digestion. Cancer cells can irritate and inflame the liver, which can cause the liver to swell. Consequently, patients with liver cancer can suffer from mild abdominal pain or swelling. As liver cancer progresses gradually, these symptoms and signs may worsen gradually. Therefore, patients who experience constant abdominal pain should seek medical care from a physician.

Stomach Upset

Patients with liver cancer can experience stomach upset as an early warning symptom of the disease. They may become unusually nauseous and vomit. Furthermore, the patients may suffer from decreased appetite, which can further contribute to unintended weight loss.

Jaundice

Cancerous cells within the liver can interfere with the liver’s normal function and the bile may begin to accumulate within a patient's body. If this occurs, patients with liver cancer can develop jaundice. In that case, the patients should go to the hospital for the treatment for that jaundice may lead to severe medical complications.

Flu-like Symptoms

Flu-like symptoms can also arise as early symptoms of liver cancer in certain patients. They can develop fever, muscle weakness, excessive fatigue or decreased appetite. Fever symptoms can also contribute to headache, chills or sweating in affected patients. Flu-like symptoms can be signs of alternate infections and affected patients should consult a physician for further care.