How does an ultrasound show early-stage liver cancer?

Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
Updated on April 07, 2025
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Liver cancer can be detected in its early stages through Doppler ultrasound examination, which may reveal single or multiple abnormal masses within the liver. These masses often vary in size and have irregular edges, with blood flow signals inside. If liver cancer is suspected from the Doppler ultrasound, further examination with an abdominal CT or MRI can provide more detailed information about the lesions to aid in judgment. A definitive diagnosis relies on surgical removal or percutaneous liver biopsy to obtain local tissue for pathological confirmation. Patients with early-stage diagnosed liver cancer should undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible, and those who can have radical resection generally have a better prognosis.

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Can primary liver cancer be treated?

Primary liver cancer is also treatable. Generally, if the primary liver cancer is small and has not widely metastasized, surgical resection can be considered, mainly involving hepatectomy and lymph node dissection. Postoperative comprehensive treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy is also applied. For primary liver cancer, interventional chemotherapy, as well as methods like cryotherapy, microwave, and ablation can be considered to control the progression of the disease. Additionally, oral targeted therapy such as sorafenib can be used. If primary liver cancer is widely metastasized at the time of detection, there generally aren’t very effective treatment options, and the average survival period might be around six months, with poor treatment outcomes.

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Written by Liu Liang
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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 Yan Chun
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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.

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Written by Yan Chun
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What changes occur in the hair during the early stages of liver cancer?

Liver cancer is a common type of tumor in the digestive system in China, and patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not experience significant changes in their hair. This is because the tumors in early-stage liver cancer patients are relatively small, and the treatment often involves surgical removal, which does not require chemotherapy or other anti-tumor treatments, so the impact on the patient's hair is minimal. As the disease progresses, some patients may need to undergo chemotherapy or other anti-tumor treatments, which can lead to hair loss or changes in hair color. However, hair changes after chemotherapy in liver cancer patients are generally reversible, and hair can regrow after the end of chemotherapy. Changes in hair color, on the other hand, are generally caused by pigment deposition induced by some chemotherapy drugs.

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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.