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 Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 11sec home-news-image

Does early-stage liver cancer cause pain when pressed?

In the early stages of liver cancer, patients generally do not experience pain when pressing on the liver area. Pain in the liver area or a sensation of liver pain typically occurs in the middle or late stages of liver cancer and is a common manifestation. The main reasons for the pain are that the liver cancer lesions are large, causing an increase in liver volume, which leads to a tense pain in the liver capsule. Additionally, the invasion of liver cancer into the liver cells and surrounding tissues can cause pain. Another cause of pain may be abnormal hormone secretion triggered by the lesions, which then stimulates the pain perception centers, resulting in pain. For patients with early-stage liver cancer, the tumors are generally small and usually do not cause noticeable clinical symptoms. In many cases, patients may exhibit non-specific symptoms such as indigestion and mild fatigue. In contrast, patients with middle to late-stage liver cancer often exhibit more clinical manifestations due to the progression of the disease.

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Written by Sun Wei
Surgical Oncology
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Is primary liver cancer prone to metastasis?

Primary liver cancer's likelihood of metastasis depends on its pathological staging. If detected in the middle or late stages, it is more likely to metastasize. The most common sites of metastasis for primary liver cancer include intrahepatic and nearby digestive organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract and the peritoneum. Additionally, primary liver cancer can also spread through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system, reaching distant locations like the lungs, brain, and bones. If primary liver cancer cannot be surgically treated, the treatment options are limited, and the survival time is generally short, with an average lifespan of about one to two years.

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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 Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can liver calcifications be liver cancer?

Calcification in the liver is not liver cancer. For internal liver calcifications, it is described in ultrasonography and CT scans as a benign lesion, not as liver cancer. Liver cancer is a malignant tumor that can be life-threatening, thus it is considered a serious condition. When calcification is present, it is not indicative of liver cancer, but regular follow-up ultrasounds are still needed to monitor changes in size dynamically. If the calcification increases significantly in size over a short period and grows rapidly, malignant transformation should be suspected, and surgery should be conducted as soon as possible to improve the prognosis for the patient. Additionally, for liver cancer patients, it is advisable to avoid spicy and irritating foods to reduce inflammatory stimulation, which is more conducive to the recovery of the condition.

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Written by Ye Xi Yong
Infectious Diseases
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Will Hepatitis B with e-antigen positive develop into liver cancer?

A small portion of patients with hepatitis B major yang can develop into liver cancer, but this development process is generally long. Primary liver cancer is currently the fourth most common malignant tumor in China, and the third leading cause of tumor death, seriously threatening the lives and health of our people. Primary liver cancer includes three types, of which hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for more than 85% to 90%. A large part of patients with primary liver cancer in China, most of whom have a background of chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis.