What is referred to as end-stage liver cancer or stage 4 cancer?

Stage 4 liver cancer is when the cancer has spread to other organs or lymph nodes as well as the liver. Staging liver cancer can be complicated, but it can help find out how far the cancer has spread outside of the liver and what treatments might be used. Liver cancer is divided into substages based on the size of the tumor (T), whether it has spread to lymph nodes (N), and whether it has spread to other parts of the body (M).

What are the factors used to determine the stages of liver cancer?

Some of the things used to determine the stage of liver cancer are:

Tumor (T):

Growth number, and if it has spread to other parts of the body.

Lymph nodes (N):

If the growth has spread to other parts of the body close to the liver.

Metastasis (M):

That is, if the growth has spread beyond the liver to lymph nodes further away and/or to other organs, such as the lungs.

What are the signs of final stage liver cancer?

In the early stages of liver cancer, you might not notice anything. Also, the stage of liver cancer isn’t always linked to the signs and symptoms of the disease. Each person is affected by the sickness in a very different way.

The signs of beginning final-stage of liver cancer:

Cancer experts say that the signs and symptoms of liver cancer usually don’t show up until the disease is in its later stages.

• Appetite loss
• Abdominal pain
• Constant feeling of full
• General itching
• Enlargement of liver
• Jaundice 
• Vomiting and nausea
• Sudden weight loss
• Leg swelling

Is jaundice the final stage of liver cancer?

At the time of diagnosis, 19–40% of people with HCC have jaundice. This generally means that the disease is in its later stages. It is caused by tumors that spread through the liver parenchyma, liver failure that gets worse over time, invasion of the hepatic hilar, severe cirrhosis, or a mix of these things. Jaundice requires immediate treatment, consult to get Jaundice Treatment in Coimbatore from the experts.

What is referred to as jaundice?

When someone has jaundice, their skin and the whites of their eyes turn yellow, and their urine is dark yellow. It is not a sickness, but a sign of a health problem.

When there is too much bilirubin in the blood, the body turns yellow. Hemoglobin has a yellow particle called bilirubin. Hemoglobin is a red blood cell-associated protein. It carries oxygen and is what makes blood red. Our bodies make new red blood cells all the time. 

The breakdown of damaged red blood cells results in bilirubin. The liver removes bilirubin from the circulation. It makes bile out of bilirubin and stores it in the gallbladder. Most bilirubin leaves the body through the stool. A small amount leaves the body through the urine.

Understanding the types of jaundice:

Jaundice comes in three different forms. They depend on where the bilirubin problem starts.

Pre-hepatic jaundice:

Before the blood gets to the liver, there is a problem that makes it yellow. If too many red blood cells die at once because of a blood sickness or condition, the liver can’t get rid of all the bilirubin in the blood.

Hepatocellular jaundice:

A problem with the liver is what causes hepatocellular jaundice. If the liver cells are scarred, which is called cirrhosis, and the liver can’t work right, it can’t get rid of bilirubin from the blood.

Obstructive jaundice:

When the bile ducts are blocked or broken, bile can’t get into the stomach. This is called obstructive jaundice. 

Jaundice in cancer patients have hepatocellular jaundice or obstructive jaundice types. 

What types of cancers can lead to jaundice?

Different kinds of jaundice are caused by different things. Malaria, which is a blood illness spread by mosquitoes, sickle cell disease, or thalassemia can all cause pre-hepatic jaundice. 

Hepatitis viruses or long-term alcohol abuse can cause cirrhosis, which can lead to liver jaundice. When a tumor or gallstones block a bile duct, or when a liver disease such as primary sclerosing cholangitis damages a bile duct, obstructive jaundice can occur.

Jaundice can be caused by any of the following types of cancer:

• Gallbladder cancer
• Bile duct cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Metastasized liver cancer

How long does it take for it to progress into a final stage liver cancer?

The Cancer Society says that “primary liver cancer” is the name for cancer that starts in the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma, angiosarcoma, and hemangiosarcoma are all types of primary liver cancer.

Cancers that start in the liver often grow quickly.

How long it takes for liver cancer to get to its final stage may depend on things like:

• The cancer’s reaction to the therapy 
• Type of cancer
• The stage of the diagnosis of cancer

Outlook of the condition:

Once your health care team knows what caused your last stage liver cancer jaundice , they can suggest ways to treat it. When jaundice is caused by a tumor or scars, treatment may include:

surgery to get rid of the blockage

putting in a stent, which is a thin tube made of plastic or metal, to let the bile flow around the blockage.

To get the treatment for last stage cancer jaundice visit a Gastro Surgeon in Coimbatore, to find various options for treatment and choose the right treatment.