Why can't people with liver cancer drink milk?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on December 03, 2024
00:00
00:00

Liver cancer patients are generally advised not to drink milk, particularly in cases of advanced liver cancer where there is a potential for hepatic encephalopathy. This is because, for patients in the late stages of liver cancer, liver function is compromised, and some may already exhibit symptoms indicative of pre-hepatic encephalopathy. Consuming a diet rich in protein can easily trigger hepatic encephalopathy, and since milk is high in protein, its consumption is usually limited or avoided in such patients. However, for the majority of liver cancer patients, drinking milk is permissible as it not only contains abundant protein but also rich calcium, which is beneficial for the recovery of liver cancer patients. Most liver cancer patients have hypoalbuminemia (low levels of protein in the blood) and some also have hypocalcemia (low levels of calcium in the blood), thus the intake of calcium and protein-rich foods can be very beneficial for their recovery.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Wei
Surgical Oncology
51sec home-news-image

What can people with primary liver cancer eat?

Primary liver cancer, commonly referred to as liver cancer, is a type of malignant tumor of the digestive system. As for diet, there are generally no specific prohibitions. However, it is recommended to stick to a light and easily digestible diet. High-protein foods and high-quality proteins, such as fish, eggs, and protein powder, are very good options. It is best to avoid spicy, pickled, smoked, or grilled foods, as these are not conducive to health. Also, any food that is clearly moldy should definitely be avoided. The main causes of primary liver cancer include infection with aflatoxin and contaminated drinking water, which are two main causes of primary liver cancer. Other causes, like hepatitis virus infections, are also major contributors to primary liver cancer.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
57sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 14sec home-news-image

Should the gallbladder be removed in the early stage of liver cancer?

Whether early-stage liver cancer patients need to have their gallbladder removed depends on the location of the tumor. For liver cancers located close to the gallbladder, gallbladder removal is generally necessary. For liver cancer lesions that are farther from the gallbladder, it is usually sufficient to only remove the liver tumor, or to perform a resection of the local liver segment or sub-segment. Additionally, for early-stage liver cancer patients to undergo surgery, certain conditions must be met: the tumor must be five centimeters or smaller, there should be no cancerous thrombus in the main trunk of the portal vein, the liver cancer tumor should not involve the semi-dry or full-dry circumstances, and the liver function should be compensatory. Under these conditions, an effort should be made to perform liver tumor resection. Generally, cancers located in the left lobe of the liver require local resection, either of a liver segment or sub-segment, and sometimes resection of the liver lobe may be performed. Tumors located in the right lobe of the liver or the hepatic portal area require local tumor resection.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 8sec home-news-image

Does early-stage liver cancer cause the complexion to become dark?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer do not experience darkening of the facial complexion. This is because early-stage liver cancer primarily refers to carcinoma in situ of the liver and some small liver cancers. Since the tumors are small and the affected area is limited, they generally cause few symptoms clinically. Some patients may experience mild fatigue and a decrease in appetite, but these do not lead to changes in the complexion. Only when the liver cancer progresses to the middle or late stages, causing damage to liver cell functions or when the pathology metastasizes, leading to damage to multiple organ functions, can there be some changes in facial complexion. For example, patients may exhibit pale complexions due to moderate to severe anemia. Some patients may have yellowing of the skin due to obstructive jaundice or hepatocellular jaundice. Additionally, some patients may show darkening of the facial complexion due to abnormal hormone secretion.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Wei
Surgical Oncology
50sec home-news-image

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.