Posts Tagged ‘Carcinoma’

What are different symptoms of liver cancer?

Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC.
- It is a cancer that originates in liver.
- Liver cancers are malignant tumors that grow on the surface or inside the liver.
- It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma.
- The liver is made up of different cell types.
- They are cancer of, for example, bile ducts, blood vessels, and fat-storing cells.
- Liver cells (hepatocytes) make up 80% of the liver tissue.
- The majority of primary liver cancers (over 90%-95%) arise from liver cells.
- Liver cancer is often referred to cancer that has spread to the liver that has originated in other organs.
- This type of liver cancer is called metastatic liver disease (cancer) or secondary liver cancer.
- The term liver cancer actually can refer to either metastatic liver cancer or hepato cellular cancer.

Rarer forms of liver cancer include:
- Mesenchymal tissue
- Sarcoma
- Hepatoblastoma
- Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancers)
- Angiosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma
- Lymphoma of liver

Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Nausea
- Liver dysfunction

What are liver cancer symptoms and signs?
- The initial symptoms are not known as these cancers are mostly recognized only at advanced stages.
- Abdominal pain is uncommon with liver cancer
- It usually signifies a very large tumor or widespread involvement of the liver.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Unexplained fevers.
- The sudden appearance of ascites (abdominal fluid and swelling).
- Jaundice (yellow color of the skin)
- Muscle wasting without causative (precipitating) factors (for example, alcohol consumption).
- Block in the portal vein (a large vein that brings blood to the liver from the intestine and spleen).
- The blood will travel paths of less resistance, such as through esophageal veins which leads to increased pressure in these veins.
- Dilated (widened) veins called esophageal varices occur.
- The patient then is at risk for hemorrhage from the rupture of the varices into the gastrointestinal tract.
- Turbulent blood flow in the artery.
- The turbulence results in a distinct sound in the liver (hepatic bruit).
- Muscle wasting.
- Very swollen liver and massive formation of ascites.
- In some patients, as previously mentioned, the tumor can invade the portal vein and lead to the rupture of esophageal varices.

Symptoms of Cholangiocarcinoma
- Sweating
- Jaundice
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Hepatomegaly

Symptoms of Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain
- Emesis
- Anemia
- Back pain
- Jaundice
- Itching
- Weight loss
- Fever

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Basal Cell carcinoma (a skin cancer) – Symptoms

Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is a skin cancer that first surfaces as a papule – a circumscribed, small skin elevation which gradually enlarges and develops into a crater that crusts, erodes and bleeds. Metastasis in this condition is pretty rare but the invasion of cancer cells can destroy adjacent and underlying tissue. In most cases almost 90% of them, a lesion appears between the upper lip and hairline of the individual.
Basal Cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and is not very lethal. It is more common in people above the age of 45years. Men are more prone to contracting this condition as compared to women. Caucasians are at a higher risk on getting basal cell carcinoma as compared to Asians and African-Americans. Sun exposure and skin color determine the risk of skin cancer. The longer the exposure of the skin to the sun and the lighter the skin color, higher is the risk.

Types of Basal Cell Carcinoma:
Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma: This is the most common type of Basal Cell Carcinoma. It is characterized by an oval or round cream/pink translucent nodule that has blood vessels and a rolled border.
Pigmented Lesion: This type of Basal Cell Carcinoma is darker than nodular basal cell carcinoma. It could be brown, black and even blue in color. Pigmented basal cell carcinoma can appear similar to the malignant melanoma tumor and therefore it is imperative that you consult only an expert and make sure that the two are treated differently.
Superficial type: This basal cell carcinoma in most cases is misread as eczema or psoriasis. It is characterized by scaly, red localized plaque.

It is the ultraviolet radiation of the sun that is the main cause of basal cell carcinoma. The incidence of basal cell carcinoma has been steadily increasing since the 1970’s given the inability of the ozone layer to protect the earth from these harmful rays. The ozone layer is getting depleted with every passing year and the UV radiation from the sun is just getting stronger. Clinical trials are taking place all over the world to test if this type of skin cancer can be prevented.

Symptoms of Basal Cell Carcinoma:
Basal cell carcinoma is characterized by five distinct characteristics. Each is very different from the other and in all likeliness two or more that two characteristics are present in the tumor. Some types of basal cell carcinoma such as the superficial type of basal cell carcinoma appear as psoriasis or eczema. Therefore it is essential to trust only an expert dermatologist to diagnose this cancer.
Regular check ups at a doctor’s clinic or self check ups are essential if you want to ensure that the condition is treated at the earliest. Understanding the signs of the condition and paying attention to what to look for can save you and your family much grief.

A few symptoms are highlighted below:

1. If you have a sore that has not healed in a long time about three week, this could be a sign.
2. Presence of an irritated are or a reddish patch. This patch may appear on the shoulders, arms, chest or legs. It may or may not cause discomfort.
3. A round smooth growth with a border around it that is elevated and a slight indentation in the center. Tiny blood vessels will start developing on the surface as the growth enlarges.
4. A translucent nodule that could be red, white or pink in color. The nodule could also be confused with a mole as it may appear in colors of black, brown or tan.
5. Certain areas of the skin may develop a scar like appearance. It has as a yellow or white waxy like appearance and has ill defined borders.

Basal Cell Carcinoma – Treatment – a common type of skin cancer

Basal Cell Carcinoma is a very common type of skin cancer. It can take years to surface and spread and is typically of three types. Basal cell carcinoma usually looks like a skin condition, however only a good dermatologist can tell you if it is a cancer. And therefore one must go in for regular check ups to ensure that one can treat the cancer if a malignant basal cell carcinoma tumor is lurking underneath the skin surface.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of basal cell carcinoma it is important that you check with your dermatologist at the earliest. They will help detect the tumor and will prescribe treatment that will help kill the cancer cells. A few treatment options are highlighted below:

Curettage and Electrodessication: Curettage and Electrodessication involve getting rid of the tumor with the help of an electrocautery device. The treatment involves destroying the tumor and then scraping the surface with the assistance of a curette. Often one can differentiate the tissues as being diseased or normal simply by feeling the texture while scraping the area. The process is carried on a few times to make sure that the tumor has been removed in totality. However this process should only be followed for tumors that are relatively small – less than 6 mm as the procedure may leave a scar.

Simple Excision: As the name suggests this procedure is very simple and involves a surgical excision of the lesion and a little bit of the normal skin. This process as apposed to curettage and electrodessication is ideal for tumors that are larger about 2 cm in size. This procedure is usually used to treat tumors that surface on the forehead, trunk, legs or cheek. Simple excision is one of the most easiest and inexpensive procedures. However it is essential that one consults only a good surgeon as the difference between the diseased skin and normal skin has to be judged only with the help of a naked and experienced eye.

Mohs’ Micrographic Surgery: Only a Moh’s surgeon can perform this surgery. The Moh’s Micrographic surgery is a very special kind of skin surgery that involves removal of the tumor surgically and instant examination under a microscope to figure out the margins. This process ensures that if any residual tumor is left it can be removed immediately. Under this procedure, the microscope is used to examine residual tissues over and over again to ensure that the area is wiped clean of the tumor. This is one of the best processes as it is definitive and it is most likely that the tumor will not occur again. However it is a very time consuming process and a very expensive one too.

Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy is ideally used for patients who cannot undergo surgery. The process is simple and involves a course of radiation to the area that has been infected by the tumor. Often the procedure is used for tumors that are in areas that are difficult to operate on. The process is not very popular and is often used only where the tissue around the area infected needs to be preserved such as the lip.

Cryotherapy: This procedure is ideal for small, superficial and well defined tumors. It involves freezing the tissue in liquid nitrogen to destroy it. Cryotherapy is used as a treatment for actinic keratosis, which is a premalignant condition. This is indeed one of the most effective and efficient processes to destroy the tissue. However it cannot be used to treat a large number of cases.