Dr Swapnil Sharma, a liver transplant, HPB and GI surgeon, helps us understand the symptoms of liver cancer and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease.
Television actor Dipika Kakkar was recently diagnosed with stage two liver cancer.
She walked into the hospital with a 'pain in the upper area of the stomach'. Tests revealed a tennis ball-sized tumour in the left lobe of her liver.
The actor was diagnosed with a second-stage malignant (cancerous) tumour and treated at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Hospital in Mumbai.
Dr Swapnil Sharma is a liver transplant, HPB (hepato-pancreato-biliary) and GI (gastro-intestinal) surgeon at the Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai.
He helps us understand the symptoms of liver cancer is and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from this disease.
What is liver cancer?
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer.
The current incidence of HCC in India is 2.15 per 100,000 and mortality is 2.21 deaths per 100,000 cases diagnosed.
Viral hepatitis is one of the most common reasons for HCC but, according to recent studies, this trend is now changing.
In India, the incidence of HCC related to hepatitis B is on a downtrend trend and instances related to alcohol and MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease) are rising.
Also known as NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), MASLD is a condition in which there is a build-up of excess fat in the liver.
What are the warning signs and symptoms?
It's very important to understand that individuals should pay attention to the early warning signs of liver cancer; it makes a huge difference if you can begin treatment early instead of waiting until it is out of control.
Most of the patients with liver cancer have underlying liver cirrhosis (a condition in which your liver is damaged).
That's why all patients with liver cirrhosis must do regular follow-ups with a liver expert. They need to be evaluated every six months even if they don't have liver cirrhosis-related complications.
Many patients with cancer are asymptomatic in the early stage and are diagnosed incidentally while being evaluating for some other reason or during a regular health check-up.
Initial indicators of a problem may include symptoms like persistent fatigue, unexplained weight loss, changes in appetite and headaches when there is no history of headaches.
Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain or chronic cough could be indicators of a serious underlying health issue.
Another red flag is changes in the skin, such as bruising that refuses to heal.
These may not appear to be much by themselves but when they persist for longer periods or recurrently reappear, physicians recommend having them examined.
What are the different stages and treatment of liver cancer?
Understanding the stage of a disease helps guide the treatment plan.
If liver cancer has not spread beyond the liver and is in an early stage inside the liver, we can cure the disease.
In non-cirrhosis patients with liver cancer, we can excise (surgically remove) that part of the liver.
In cirrhosis patients with early-stage liver cancer, we can replace the liver completely by doing a liver transplant which will cure the disease.
We have many other modalities to treat liver cancer, like loco-regional therapy but most of them are not curative options. They just prevent the spread of cancer. They are helpful when a patient needs a liver transplant and a donor is not available.
When there is a delay in diagnosis, and the disease has already spread to other organs, medical management and palliative care are the only options.
Nowadays, there are new medications like immunotherapy treatment that have shown good results in many patients with advanced liver cancer.
Timely identification and timely intervention are the only ways to cure liver cancer.
Everyone must take care of their liver. Exercise regularly, eat healthy meals and avoid alcohol to keep your liver healthy.
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