Will people with early-stage liver cancer experience weight loss?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on November 16, 2024
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Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not experience weight loss; weight loss is more commonly a clinical manifestation in patients with late-stage liver cancer. The reason for weight loss in liver cancer patients is due to the damage caused by cancerous tissue to liver function, leading to reduced synthesis of albumin. Furthermore, patients with liver cancer often experience a significant decrease in food intake, resulting in insufficient intake of nutrients such as albumin. Additionally, the progression of liver cancer tumors requires the consumption of a large amount of the body's albumin. Therefore, due to these factors, many patients with late-stage liver cancer exhibit clinical manifestations of weight loss. Moreover, besides not experiencing weight loss, patients with early-stage liver cancer also do not typically present with typical clinical symptoms. Many patients are asymptomatic, and as the lesion progresses, the cancer spreads, possibly leading to clinical manifestations associated with tumor spread. For example, pain in the liver area, a significant decrease in food intake, fatigue, fever, pain, and some patients may also exhibit symptoms of metastasis such as headaches, vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal distension.

Other Voices

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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How to effectively treat advanced liver cancer?

In the late stages of liver cancer, due to the spread of lesions, it is very easy to cause the failure of multiple organs such as the liver, heart, and kidneys, ultimately endangering the patient's life. Therefore, effective treatment methods must be adopted to delay the progression of the disease as much as possible. Currently, effective treatment methods include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and some physical therapies. Commonly used clinical treatments include radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation. Radiotherapy is also a local treatment method, while targeted therapy and chemotherapy immunotherapy are systemic comprehensive treatments. Currently, the effects of targeted therapy for liver cancer are satisfactory, but the effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy are poor. Most patients need these treatments combined to exert their effective anti-tumor treatment functions.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Can late-stage liver cancer be treated?

In the late stage of liver cancer, treatment depends on the specific circumstances. If there is significant ascites or severe liver function damage, treatment may primarily involve optimal supportive care. If the patient's liver function is relatively good, such as in hepatocellular carcinoma, targeted therapy may be an option. If the patient's overall condition allows, other treatment methods such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy may be considered. Furthermore, if the pathology is cholangiocarcinoma with jaundice as the main symptom, a stent can be placed externally in the biliary tract to drain bile and alleviate jaundice symptoms. If there is no portal vein thrombosis, no significant ascites, and multiple liver metastases are present, chemotherapy embolization of hepatic veins and various local ablation treatments can also be considered. Thus, the specific approach should take into account multiple factors such as the patient's constitution, overall condition, and the severity of liver function impairment.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
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Is the right shoulder pain from liver cancer persistent?

For patients with liver cancer, if there is pain in the right shoulder, it is not necessarily continuous, which depends on the specific cause of the right shoulder pain. If the pain is caused by bone metastasis of liver cancer to the right shoulder, the pain is often severe and persistent. Bone is one of the more common sites of metastasis for liver cancer. For bone metastases of liver cancer, we can use imaging studies to detect clear bone destruction at the metastatic sites on X-rays, CT scans, and MRI. If the right shoulder pain in liver cancer patients is caused by other benign conditions, the pain may not necessarily be persistent. For instance, liver cancer patients may also experience shoulder pain due to other conditions such as rotator cuff injuries, periarthritis, or minor trauma, but this pain is not necessarily continuous.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Early Symptoms and Warning Signs of Liver Cancer

The early symptoms of liver cancer primarily manifest as localized gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients develop an aversion to greasy foods and experience a decrease in appetite. Some may feel bloating and pain in the abdomen, nausea, and distention after eating, and even pain and bloating as early symptoms. Patients become reluctant to be active, and some liver cancer patients may not exhibit many symptoms in the early stages. The precursors of liver cancer mainly present as unexplained fatigue or generalized weakness. If individuals with a family history of liver cancer experience unexplained anorexia, fatigue, and lethargy, the possibility of liver cancer should be considered.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Do early-stage liver cancer patients experience fatigue?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not exhibit symptoms of fatigue, which are more commonly seen in patients with mid to late-stage liver cancer. The clinical symptoms of early-stage liver cancer are generally not typical, with a minority of patients experiencing reduced appetite and discomfort or mild pain in the liver area. Furthermore, early-stage liver cancer is often discovered during physical examinations or incidentally. Fatigue in liver cancer patients is mostly due to hypoalbuminemia, moderate to severe anemia, or toxic side effects caused by certain anticancer treatments. Hypoalbuminemia occurs because the growth of liver cancer consumes a large amount of protein, and liver dysfunction leads to insufficient synthesis of both protein and glycogen, resulting in malnutrition in patients. After experiencing weight loss, patients often show signs of fatigue. The pathological changes in liver cancer can lead to moderate to severe anemia, which, in turn, significantly contributes to fatigue. Additionally, some medications used in treating liver cancer can cause fatigue due to their toxic side effects.