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Liu Liang
Oncology
About me
Loudi Central Hospital, Oncology Department, attending physician, has been engaged in clinical work in the field of oncology for many years, and has rich clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of oncologic diseases.
Proficient in diseases
Specializes in common diseases such as lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and lymphoma.
Voices
How to screen for pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract. Due to its high malignancy and rapid progression, it severely affects human health. So how should pancreatic cancer patients be screened? Generally, abdominal ultrasound examination is the primary screening method. Another method is the examination of tumor markers, mainly carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA19-9. CA19-9 is a tumor marker with relatively high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, during physical examinations, we can draw blood to check these tumor markers. If there is a significant increase in CA19-9 or CEA, further examinations of the pancreas, such as ultrasound or CT of the pancreas, should be conducted to further investigate whether there is a tumor in the pancreas.
How is liver cancer diagnosed?
In clinical practice, if a patient has a history of chronic hepatitis B and imaging tests, such as an enhanced CT or MRI of the liver, suggest a radiological appearance of liver cancer, combined with an AFP level greater than 400 persisting for four weeks, these conditions can support a clinical diagnosis of liver cancer. However, for a confirmed diagnosis, a liver biopsy guided by ultrasound or CT must be performed. The definitive diagnosis of liver cancer relies on identifying cancer cells through pathological examination.
Rectal cancer stage III
Rectal cancer staging is based on the TNM system. "T" refers to the primary tumor, and its stage depends on which layer of the bowel wall the tumor has invaded. "N" is based on whether there are lymph node metastases and the number of lymph nodes involved. "M" indicates whether there are metastases to distant organs. Staging is determined according to the TNM situation, where Stage I is the earliest and Stage IV is the latest. Stage III indicates lymph node metastasis without distant organ metastases, such as to the liver or lungs. In such cases, irrespective of whether T is T1 to T4, if there is lymph node involvement without distant organ metastasis, it is staged as Stage III.
What are the symptoms of esophageal cancer recurrence?
The symptoms of recurrent esophageal cancer are similar to those at its initial onset, primarily characterized by difficulties in swallowing and eating obstructions. Some may also experience nausea, vomiting, and reflux symptoms of the digestive tract. Of course, when recurrence occurs, if there are metastases to other distant organs, then clinical manifestations corresponding to those metastatic locations will appear. For example, if esophageal cancer metastasizes to the lungs, it could lead to coughing, expectoration, shortness of breath, or chest pain, and even clinical symptoms related to coughing up blood. If there is liver metastasis from esophageal cancer, symptoms might include abdominal pain, fatigue, poor appetite, and even ascites among other clinical manifestations related to liver metastasis.
Stage IV rectal cancer
In the staging of rectal cancer, we generally use the TNM staging system clinically. "T" refers to the primary tumor, "N" indicates whether there is lymph node metastasis, and staging is based on the status of the lymph nodes. "M" indicates whether there is distant metastasis. Stage IV refers to any stage of "T" and any stage of "N", as long as there is distant metastasis, such as rectal cancer metastasizing to the liver, lungs, or bones. When these distant organ metastases occur, the staging is M1, any "T", any "N", M1. This scenario is stage IV, indicating the presence of distant organ metastasis and represents advanced stage rectal cancer patients.
What to do about pancreatic cancer pain?
Pancreatic cancer pain is common in clinical practice, with some patients presenting with abdominal pain as their initial symptom. Pain management can be symptomatic, using analgesics for relief. For mild pain, tramadol can be chosen for pain relief. For severe pain, opioid analgesics such as morphine sustained-release tablets, oxycodone sustained-release tablets, or morphine tablets can be used for pain relief. These are merely symptomatic treatments. The fundamental approach involves surgical or oncological treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. Only when the tumor is controlled will the symptoms of pain be alleviated.
Does early-stage stomach cancer hurt?
Symptoms of early-stage gastric cancer are generally not very obvious. Some patients may experience subtle symptoms resembling those of gastritis or gastrointestinal ulcers, including non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms such as discomfort and bloating in the upper abdomen, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. In terms of pain, early-stage gastric cancer patients might only experience a sensation of bloating or mild tenderness in the upper abdomen. Severe pain is usually associated with late-stage gastric cancer, occurring when there is extensive abdominal metastasis or tumor progression, and the tumor is large enough to cause significant pain, requiring analgesics for treatment.
What medicine is infused into the bladder for bladder cancer?
Postoperative intravesical chemotherapy infusion is very common in the treatment of bladder cancer. Common drugs used for infusion chemotherapy include mitomycin and anthracyclines such as epirubicin or pirarubicin. Gemcitabine is also frequently used for this purpose. The related side effects generally include irritation symptoms of the bladder, although some patients may experience relatively mild side effects.
How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?
Ultrasound or CT scans detecting ovarian masses, in combination with biopsy or cytological examination that identify cancer cells, can diagnose ovarian cancer. A common method of biopsy includes ultrasound-guided procedures or transvaginal cul-de-sac puncture biopsy of ovarian masses, enabling clear pathological confirmation. Additionally, exploratory laparotomy or early radical surgery for ovarian cancer patients can yield a postoperative pathological diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Moreover, the presence of ascites is a common symptom in ovarian cancer patients; finding cancer cells, especially adenocarcinoma, in ascites, coupled with significantly elevated tumor marker CA125, or ultrasound or CT imagery revealing ovarian masses, can also diagnose ovarian cancer.
Ovarian Cancer Screening Methods
The methods for diagnosing ovarian cancer include imaging studies, such as ultrasonography of the adnexa of the uterus, abdominal CT, or MRI, which can detect ovarian tumors. The next step is to perform a blood test for the tumor marker CA125, which is a relatively specific and sensitive marker for epithelial ovarian cancer; in clinical practice, CA125 levels are generally significantly elevated in patients with ovarian cancer. Additionally, many patients with ovarian cancer, especially those in advanced stages, often develop significant ascites. We can perform abdominal paracentesis to drain the fluid and test the ascites for cancer cells. If cancer cells are found in the ascites and imaging studies reveal an ovarian mass, ovarian cancer can be diagnosed. Furthermore, chest CT and other tests are included to comprehensively assess the staging of the patient.