What To Know About Liver Cancer

If you are at risk of developing liver cancer, you need to know the facts about this serious disease. Your doctor can help. Dr. Vladimir Donchev in Margate, FL, provides a wide range of medical services, including diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases and liver cancer.

Some Facts about Liver Cancer

There are several issues that can put you at greater risk of liver cancer. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is one of the main risk factors for developing liver cancer. Other factors which put you at greater risk of liver cancer include:

• Having fatty liver disease
• Being a diabetic
• Having a chronic hepatitis B or C infection
• Having cirrhosis of the liver
• Having a family history of liver disease or liver cancer

If you have any of the risk factors above, it’s important for you to know the signs and symptoms to look for with liver cancer. You may have liver cancer if you:

• Have yellowed skin, known as jaundice
• Have lost significant weight or have lost your appetite
• Feel chronic pain in your upper abdomen
• Experience frequent episodes of nausea and vomiting
• Experience chronic weakness and fatigue
• Notice significant abdominal swelling
• Notice your stools appear chalky and white

If you notice any of the signs or symptoms listed above, it’s time to visit your doctor. Treatments for liver cancer include:

• Surgery to remove the cancerous tissue
• Radiation and targeted drug therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Ablation or heating of cancer cells
• Cryoablation or freezing of cancer cells
• Injection of chemotherapy drugs into the liver
• Radiation beads inserted into the liver

Depending on the severity of the disease, a liver transplant may be indicated. Your doctor can discuss this option with you.

Remember that prevention is the key to avoiding liver cancer. There are many factors you can control. You should:

Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. If necessary, seek out treatment to help you control alcohol addiction.

Avoid using intravenous street drugs. If necessary, seek out treatment to help control drug addiction.

Use only reputable piercing or tattoo shops. The shop you choose should take all necessary sterilization precautions.

Know the health of your sexual partners. Both you and your partner should get tested regularly.

Make sure you get the hepatitis B vaccination. It’s one of the easiest ways to prevent hepatitis B.

Want to Know More?

To find out more about the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer, talk with an expert. Call Dr. Vladimir Donchev in Margate, FL. You can reach him in the office by calling (754) 220-8100, so call today.