Can early-stage liver cancer be cured by resection?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on January 25, 2025
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Liver cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of the digestive system. For patients with early-stage liver cancer, clinical cure is possible after curative surgery. This clinical cure refers to instances where liver cancer patients, after undergoing curative surgery, do not show signs of recurrence or metastasis over a period exceeding five years. This means there is no invasion of surrounding tissues and no metastasis to distant organs – effectively, the patients have achieved clinical cure. Patients' survival time exceeds five years, or even longer. Therefore, for patients with early-stage liver cancer, because their lesions are relatively limited, achieving clinical cure is possible following curative surgery. However, as the disease progresses to the mid and late stages, even with aggressive surgery and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy, most patients cannot achieve clinical cure.

Other Voices

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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What are the early symptoms of liver cancer?

The early symptoms of liver cancer lack specificity, so in clinical practice, early-stage liver cancer is generally detected only during routine screenings or physical examinations. By the time patients present with noticeable symptoms and seek medical attention, the cancer is often in the intermediate or advanced stages, making surgical removal unlikely for most patients. The early symptoms might include non-specific signs such as fatigue. It is usually only in the intermediate or advanced stages that patients experience obvious symptoms like pain in the liver area, palpable abdominal masses, abdominal distension, weight loss, and jaundice. By the time these symptoms appear, it is typically quite late, corresponding to the intermediate or advanced stages of the disease. Early stages typically do not show specific symptoms, though some patients might experience mild abdominal pain, bloating, or fatigue, which are not very specific signs.

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Written by Sun Wei
Surgical Oncology
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The difference between primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer

Primary liver cancer refers to malignant tumors that originate in the liver, while metastatic liver cancer refers to cancers that start in other parts of the body and then spread to the liver through lymphatic and blood circulation, among other routes. Another difference is that primary liver cancer is more likely to be a single lesion, while metastatic liver cancer generally involves multiple lesions. Regarding the differences between primary and metastatic liver cancer, their treatment methods also differ. For primary liver cancer, interventional chemotherapy or surgery, such as hepatic lobectomy, can be performed if the tumor is small. In contrast, metastatic liver cancer usually involves multiple lesions, making surgery alone challenging. Additionally, the primary tumor also requires treatment.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
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Does liver palm mean liver cancer?

Liver palm is not liver cancer; it is a clinical symptom caused by the stage of liver cirrhosis in patients. Once liver palm appears, it is important to pay attention and visit the gastroenterology or hepatology department of a standard hospital for a complete liver function test and upper abdominal imaging to confirm the diagnosis of the disease. Depending on the specific diagnosis, appropriate treatment measures should be taken. If liver palm is caused by alcoholic liver disease leading to cirrhosis, active abstinence from alcohol is necessary. If it is caused by viral hepatitis, antiviral treatment is required, along with active liver-protective treatment.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
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Can pain around the belly button be liver cancer?

The tissues around the navel are primarily intestinal tissues. The outer ring is the large intestine, and close to the navel is mainly the small intestine. If there is pain around the navel that feels like pulling or bloating, and it relieves after defecation, then it is generally enteritis. The liver, on the other hand, is located in the upper right part of the abdomen, below the rib margin. If pain occurs in this area, the possibility of liver cancer is high, and the two types of pain are completely different. Pain around the navel is mainly pulling pain, and it is not very severe; whereas liver pain is primarily bloating pain, which is very severe, and general medications cannot alleviate it. Therefore, pain around the navel is unlikely to be liver cancer.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Does liver cancer cause nosebleeds in its early stages?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not exhibit clinical symptoms of nosebleeds. Nosebleeds are a clinical manifestation of late-stage liver cancer. Early-stage liver cancer patients usually have atypical symptoms, which may include tenderness in the liver area, decreased appetite, abdominal bloating, and symptoms of indigestion. As the disease progresses, the liver cancer invades surrounding tissues and metastasizes to distant sites, leading to liver function impairment and coagulation disorders, which can result in nosebleeds. Some patients may also develop splenic hyperfunction due to liver damage, leading to a decrease in platelets, which can also cause nosebleeds. Additionally, some patients in the late stages may develop disseminated intravascular coagulation, leading to spontaneous internal and mucosal bleeding, clinically manifesting as nosebleeds.