What's going on with the facial swelling in the late stage of liver cancer?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on May 21, 2025
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Patients with advanced liver cancer may experience facial swelling, which can be attributed to the following reasons: Firstly, patients with advanced liver cancer often show significant disease progression and may develop complications associated with hepatorenal syndrome. Clinically, this can manifest as reduced urine output, anuria, and even renal impairment, leading to facial swelling. Secondly, in patients with advanced liver cancer, there may be metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. Enlarged lymph nodes can compress or invade surrounding structures, leading to superior vena cava syndrome. Once this syndrome occurs, patients may experience swelling in the face and neck, and some may even face severe breathing difficulties. Lastly, some patients with advanced liver cancer may experience renal damage due to the toxic side effects of antitumor treatments or medications. Clinically, this can lead to increased levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, reduced urine output, and hypoproteinemia, which may also result in facial swelling.

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Is increased lung markings related to liver cancer?

Increased pulmonary markings are clinically associated with many inducing factors, but they are not directly related to liver cancer. It's important to understand that liver cancer involves the presence of cancer cells in the liver, while increased pulmonary markings are radiographic signs observed during lung imaging examinations. Clinically, there are many factors that can lead to increased pulmonary markings, but liver cancer does not cause this condition. Typically, increased pulmonary markings may be due to excessive obesity, long-term smoking, or the presence of inflammatory lesions in the lungs, all of which can cause varying degrees of increased pulmonary markings.

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Is the alpha-fetoprotein high in the early stage of liver cancer?

Patients with liver cancer may not necessarily have elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in the early stages. CEA, a commonly used tumor marker, tends to increase in various types of malignancies. However, an elevation in CEA is not necessarily linked to the occurrence of malignant tumors. Many patients with early-stage tumors, including liver cancer, may not have elevated CEA levels at diagnosis. Conversely, elevated CEA levels in some patients may be due to benign conditions and not necessarily indicate malignancy. Therefore, it is unreasonable to determine the presence of liver cancer solely based on the elevation of CEA.

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

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.

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Early symptoms of primary liver cancer

Primary liver cancer often shows no obvious symptoms in its early stages. It may present symptoms similar to indigestion, hepatitis, etc. For example, there might be slight discomfort or pain in the upper right abdomen, aversion to oil, or loss of appetite. Generally, regular health check-ups are needed, including imaging studies of the liver such as ultrasound, CT, or MRI. Liver function tests and tumor markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) should also be performed. In most cases of primary liver cancer, AFP levels will be elevated. Combined with imaging studies, a preliminary diagnosis can be made. A definitive diagnosis requires liver biopsy or confirmation through pathology after surgery.

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What to do if vomiting occurs in liver cancer?

Liver cancer is divided into two main pathological types, the first being hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common, and the other being cholangiocellular carcinoma. Clinically, vomiting is also a common symptom of liver cancer. For symptomatic treatment, we can provide gastric protection and administer antiemetic drugs such as stomach comfort, but these are only symptomatic treatments and do not cure the root cause. The key is still to treat the liver cancer itself, as the symptoms will only alleviate once the cancer is under control. For advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, targeted therapies like sorafenib are available. If it is cholangiocellular carcinoma, and symptoms like vomiting and jaundice appear, which may be obstructive symptoms, then a surgical procedure in hepato-biliary surgery to drain the bile can be performed, which can also alleviate the symptoms of vomiting. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)