- Liver diseases are the fourth cause of death in Mexico.
- The main drawback is that most cases are detected in advanced stages due to the lack of regular check-ups.
- Every October 30th, Liver Cancer Awareness Day is commemorated.
Tumors have existed for thousands of years but in recent decades they have become a serious public health problem. They affect more and more people and the number of fatalities is also constantly increasing. While within all the types that exist the Liver cancer it is one of the most dangerous and is even often considered a silent death.
Current national panorama
To begin with, only in Mexico more than five thousand annual deaths are reported due to this neoplasm. With this, It ranks third among fatal diseases in the country. Liver cancer includes hepatocellular carcinoma and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). Risk factors for the former include chronic hepatitis B or C infection and liver cirrhosis.
According to Dr Kirtan Nautiyalhemato-oncologist doctor of the Houston Methodist Hospitalthis tumor occurs in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, just below the ribs.
Some of the symptoms of Liver cancer they are pain in that area, feeling heaviness and even jaundice in the eyes and skin as a result of liver damage. It is usually detected with a ultrasound or a CT scan of the abdomen.
“Primary liver cancer is something that is much more common in patients who have pre-existing liver damage called liver cirrhosis. Metastatic from other cancer also occurs, because blood flows continuously through the liver, so any type of tumor can spread there and that includes lung cancer, breast cancer and many other types.
Can it be cured or not?
To the express question of whether the liver cancer is curable, Dr. Nautiyal comments that it depends on the stage in which it is detected. If it is in the early stage, which means it is very small, then it can be cured with surgery. If the tumor is too large for surgery, it can sometimes be shrunk with radiation, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, and then surgery is done.”
If the tumor has spread too far, it may not be curable. In this type of case, it should be treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy and simply try to control it. That’s why it’s important to find these cancers early. It is especially important for people with liver damage to have regular ultrasound studies to detect these types of cancers early.”
Regarding the survival rate, the specialist assured that, “there is not a single answer to that question. Early-stage cancers can be cured, while advanced-stage cancers are not, and patients can live an average of one to two years. While, if it is at an earlier stage, it can be operated on and it is a very curable disease”.
To finish, the Dr Kirtan Nautiyal called for people who are at risk of disease and liver damage. Regular screening tests are necessary to identify any malignancy early.
Also read:
Liver cancer, a silent death health problem?
Rare case: IMSS achieves a liver transplant thanks to a deceased donor with CKD
Mexican feat! INP performs the first pediatric liver transplant in its history