Metastatic Liver Cancer: What Kind of Cancer Is It?
Metastatic liver cancer is a cancer that is found in the liver but that originated elsewhere in the body. Mostly secondary liver cancer originates in the colon, pancreas, breast, lung or GI tract. This type of cancer most commonly starts in the lung, breast, large intestine, pancreas or stomach. Diagnosis is usually supported by an imaging test, most often ultrasonography, spiral CT with contrast, or MRI with contrast. It is hard to discover Liver Metastases in the early stages. In late stages, metastatic liver cancer can cause the liver to stop working normally.
Metastatic Liver Cancer Symptoms
In the initial stage, metastatic liver cancer may not show any symptom, i.e. asymptomatic, or it may produce symptoms that may not be specific to the disease. For example, symptoms like loss of weight and appetite, fever, anorexia may be present, but they are not specific to liver cancer only. These types of symptoms can be produced by some other health related problems as well. An abnormally enlarged and hardened liver, can be considered as the typical symptom of metastatic liver cancer. This in turn, creates a feeling of discomfort in the upper, right portion of the abdomen.
Liver tenderness can be another symptom of liver cancer. Occasionally, abnormal enlargement of the spleen, known as splenomegaly has been observed among the patients of metastatic liver cancer. Jaundice may or may not be present in the early stage. However, at the Advanced Liver Cancer stage , jaundice gradually worsens due to a blockage of the bile ducts, which carry bile from the liver to the small intestine. Due to the blockage of the bile ducts, bile flows back into the bloodstream, which causes the yellow coloration of the skin and the white portion of the eye. This is the most common symptom of metastatic liver cancer.
Metastatic Liver Cancer Life Expectancy
Metastatic liver cancer is one of the most fatal liver diseases. Metastatic Liver Cancer Survival Rate is poor, with the person dying within 6 months to one year of diagnosis. It is rare to find cancer patients with metastatic liver cancer who exceed their life expectancy beyond one year.
Metastatic Liver Cancer Prognosis will be done after a series of diagnostic procedures. One standard procedure is a biopsy from the liver to find out whether you have primary or secondary liver cancer. The treatment options are also limited at this stage. However, initial condition during diagnosis can be a crucial deciding factor for survival rate of metastatic cancer patients. If the tumor is small without vascular invasion and if the patient is in excellent mental and physical health then the life expectancy can considerably increase. Surgeries or other cancer treatments can prove to be effective at this metastatic liver cancer stage.
Metastatic liver cancer is often interpreted as ‘death within six months’. However, this is not always true, as there are cases where people have successfully fought this disease. Hence, instead of worrying about how little time you’ve left; start enjoying the pleasures of life. This will give you the mental and physical strength required to fight metastatic liver cancer, which may result in better response to your treatment.
