Is loss of appetite a warning sign of liver cancer?

According to Dr. Nguyen Chi Thanh, Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, the liver is an important organ of the body, performing many functions such as eliminating toxins, producing bile, storing vitamins and minerals, metabolizing substances, synthesizing blood clotting factors and albumin.

Liver cancer is a condition in which liver cells develop abnormally, often due to DNA mutations in the body, forming malignant tumors, hindering the normal functioning of this organ. Sometimes, malignant tumors in the liver develop from other diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.

In the early stages, liver cancer often has no obvious symptoms, is difficult to detect, and is easily confused with other liver diseases. However, some symptoms that may suggest early stage liver cancer include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, lethargy, chills, high fever, dark facial skin (due to impaired melanin metabolism in the liver), and pain in the right hypochondrium.

If you have any unusual symptoms, you should go to the hospital for a check-up by a doctor. If cancer is suspected, the doctor will perform additional tests to evaluate and diagnose the disease.

Is loss of appetite a warning sign of liver cancer? This is a question that many people are concerned about. (Illustration photo)

If liver cancer is not detected and treated promptly, it will progress to a late stage. At this point, the symptoms are more obvious and more severe, such as an enlarged liver (palpable), pain in the right hypochondrium with increasing frequency and severity, itchy skin (increased bilirubin in the blood), jaundice, yellow eyes, dark urine, and rapid weight loss for unknown reasons.

Everyone should have regular health check-ups and cancer screening. In the early stages, liver cancer often has no obvious signs, so most people pay little attention. People with high risk factors such as cirrhosis, chronic alcoholic hepatitis, hepatitis B and C should be screened with abdominal ultrasound at least once every 6 months.

When liver cancer is suspected, the doctor will order other paraclinical tests for a definitive diagnosis such as blood tests, abdominal CT scan, abdominal MRI, and liver biopsy.

“Regular liver cancer screening is an effective way to help doctors detect the disease at an early stage, thereby improving treatment effectiveness and quality of life,” Dr. Thanh advised.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/chan-an-co-phai-dau-hieu-canh-bao-ung-thu-gan-ar907276.html