The human body works with the contribution of all the organs present inside. Though all those organs are functioning constantly to keep the body in a healthy state, some organs are highly crucial for keeping the body alive and healthy as compared to others. The human liver is one such organ. The human liver is a vital organ that has more than 500 responsibilities in keeping the human body alive and helping it with proper functioning. Since liver cancer is prevalent in different parts of the world, we are writing this article to make you aware of it. This article will talk about liver cancer, some causes behind it, and other details. Let us talk a little bit about liver cancer before we start discussing the liver cancer surgeons in Mumbai.
What is liver cancer?
The human liver is situated just above the stomach and beneath the diaphragm. It is one of the largest organs present inside the human body and it has several crucial functions to keep the body healthy and alive. Liver cancer is a cancer type that begins from the cells of the liver. The most common type of liver cancer is caused in the cells that are most commonly present inside the human liver i.e. hepatocytes. There are some other types of cancers as well but they are not so common. One thing that is worth knowing here is the fact that cancers spreading to the liver are more common as compared to the cancers originating from the liver. Cancer that spreads to the liver from other organs is usually called metastatic. The other part of the name is based on the organ from which cancer has spread to the liver e.g. metastatic lung cancer for cancer that spreads from the human lungs to the liver.
Are there any symptoms of liver cancer?
In the majority of cases, people don’t have symptoms when liver cancer is in its primary stage. Even though the symptoms appear in the later stages you should be able to identify them quickly. Here is a quick look at those symptoms for your help.
- Significant weight loss without any effort from your side. This is one of the most common symptoms of liver cancer in the majority of people.
- Abdominal swelling and pain in the upper abdominal region.
- Weakness with fatigue. This symptom is often accompanied by a significant loss of appetite.
- Jaundice might be a symptom of liver cancer in some cases. You can easily identify Jaundice as it makes your skin yellow along with yellow discoloration of the white portion of your eyes.
- Liver cancer causes white and chalky stools in some people.
There might be several symptoms other than these few. You should always have an eye on your liver health and see the doctor immediately after identifying any worrying signs.
Possible causes behind liver cancer
Liver cancer occurs when the DNA in the liver cells develops some mutations. DNA holds instructions for the functioning of the human body. Mutations in the DNA of cells cause them to function abnormally which becomes a cause of cancer in many cases.
The doctors are able to figure out the reasons behind liver cancer in some cases while the reasons remain completely unknown in several cases. But there are some risk factors. By risk factors, we mean the factors that increase the chances of having liver cancer in a person. Having a good idea about the risk factor helps people avoid this disease to some extent.
Factors that increase the risk of liver cancer
– Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is an irreversible condition that causes the formation of scar tissues inside the liver. This situation increases the chance of liver cancer in individuals.
– High alcohol consumption: It is very clear that the consumption of alcohol in more than moderate amounts constantly for a long period of time will cause irreversible damage to the human liver. Along with that, it also increases the chances of liver cancer.
– HCV or HBV-related chronic infections: Chromic infections with either Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C virus increases the chances of liver cancer.
– Diabetes: This is a disorder related to the blood sugar of an individual. It has been seen that people who have diabetes are at higher risk of liver cancer as compared to those who don’t have this condition.
There are several other risk factors as well but discussing them all in one article is not possible. Now that you know much about the causes, risk factors, and other basics related to liver cancer, it is time to take a look at the options for liver cancer treatment in Mumbai.
Liver cancer treatment in Mumbai
Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan is a prominent name when it comes to Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Pancreatic oncology. If you try to have a look at his expertise, you will find that he is active in these surgeries for the past 18 years. The treatment process for liver cancer includes a physical examination followed by required blood tests to gain more information about the underlying condition. In the physical examination, he will carefully inspect the abdomen of the patient. Proper attention will be paid to the eyes and skin of the patient as well to gather more information about the condition of the patient.
Once done with the examination and analysis mentioned above, the doctor will refer to the reports of radiological images like MRI of the abdomen, PET Scan, Triple phase CT Scan, etc. In certain cases, the doctor might ask for a liver biopsy but it is not necessary in every case. The surgical method serves as an effective treatment process for people whose liver cancer is in the primary stage. Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan specializes in performing surgeries associated with this specific condition. You should consider getting more information about this highly experienced oncologist to know more about his achievements and qualifications, as well as, his experience in performing hundreds of surgeries related to liver cancer. In case you are searching for the best cancer doctor in Mumbai, he should be on the top of your list.
