Liver cancer is one of the malignant tumors, and the physical discomfort it presents varies from person to person. Some tumors can stimulate the diaphragm and cause coughing, which many people treat as a respiratory disease. If repeated treatments are ineffective, it means taking the wrong path, and it will be too late to check the liver again, missing the best treatment opportunity.
1. Coughing for more than six months without a known cause should be checked for liver cancer
Why can coughing be a symptom of liver cancer?
When it comes to liver disease, most people think of pain in the liver area. Tomato Doctor reminds us that the symptoms of liver cancer are diverse, and due to different individual constitutions, there may be subtle differences in manifestations. Liver cancer patients often experience abdominal distension, which is due to the blockage of the portal vein by cancer thrombus leading to ascites. Alternatively, if the tumor compresses the stomach and duodenum, eating may cause pain, which is often mistaken for indigestion but is actually liver cancer. The last type is coughing, which is caused by the stimulation of the diaphragm by liver tumors, leading to radiating back pain and coughing.
2. B-ultrasound examination is important for the diagnosis of liver cancer
When liver tumors exceed 10cm, prolonged dry coughing is likely to occur. Liver cancer must be detected early and treated early. Clinically, liver cancer is divided into two types: large and small. Liver cancer smaller than 3cm is called small liver cancer; liver cancer larger than 3cm but smaller than 5cm is called large liver cancer. Timely treatment of small liver cancer has a five-year survival rate of 65.4%; timely treatment of large liver cancer has a five-year survival rate of 57.4%. Once it exceeds 10cm, even if it is surgically removed, the prognosis is very poor.
3. What should be checked after liver cancer surgery?
Liver B-ultrasound, liver CT scan, blood test. Generally, within two years after surgery, a reexamination is required every three months. If liver cancer recurs, immediate treatment is necessary. Liver cancer develops rapidly, from 2cm to 4cm or from 4cm to 8cm in just two months. Tomato Doctor reminds us that the prognosis of a 2cm liver cancer is completely different from that of an 8cm liver cancer. Even if alpha-fetoprotein is normal, it does not mean that there is no tumor, and it needs to be combined with the results of ultrasound examination for comprehensive diagnosis.
