Can alpha-fetoprotein confirm liver cancer?

Written by Du Rui Xia

Obstetrics

Updated on November 03, 2024

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Alpha-fetoprotein is a type of oncofetal antigen and a glycoprotein. It is used clinically as a highly specific marker for diagnosing primary liver cancer. However, elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels do not definitively indicate liver cancer, as although it is a tumor marker with diagnostic significance, elevated levels can also be seen in patients with liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis. Additionally, increased alpha-fetoprotein can occur in pregnant women or in the presence of other types of cancer, so further investigation is necessary to confirm the cause.

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Written by Yan Chun

Oncology

1min 35sec

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Will people with early-stage liver cancer experience weight loss?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not experience weight loss; weight loss is more commonly a clinical manifestation in patients with late-stage liver cancer. The reason for weight loss in liver cancer patients is due to the damage caused by cancerous tissue to liver function, leading to reduced synthesis of albumin. Furthermore, patients with liver cancer often experience a significant decrease in food intake, resulting in insufficient intake of nutrients such as albumin. Additionally, the progression of liver cancer tumors requires the consumption of a large amount of the body's albumin. Therefore, due to these factors, many patients with late-stage liver cancer exhibit clinical manifestations of weight loss. Moreover, besides not experiencing weight loss, patients with early-stage liver cancer also do not typically present with typical clinical symptoms. Many patients are asymptomatic, and as the lesion progresses, the cancer spreads, possibly leading to clinical manifestations associated with tumor spread. For example, pain in the liver area, a significant decrease in food intake, fatigue, fever, pain, and some patients may also exhibit symptoms of metastasis such as headaches, vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal distension.

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Written by Luo Han Ying

Endocrinology

57sec

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Can pain around the belly button be liver cancer?

The tissues around the navel are primarily intestinal tissues. The outer ring is the large intestine, and close to the navel is mainly the small intestine. If there is pain around the navel that feels like pulling or bloating, and it relieves after defecation, then it is generally enteritis. The liver, on the other hand, is located in the upper right part of the abdomen, below the rib margin. If pain occurs in this area, the possibility of liver cancer is high, and the two types of pain are completely different. Pain around the navel is mainly pulling pain, and it is not very severe; whereas liver pain is primarily bloating pain, which is very severe, and general medications cannot alleviate it. Therefore, pain around the navel is unlikely to be liver cancer.

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Written by Sun Ming Yue

Medical Oncology

1min 2sec

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Symptoms of late-stage liver cancer deterioration

If liver cancer reaches an advanced stage, many symptoms will appear. For example, there will be pain in the liver area due to the tumor's growth pulling on the liver capsule, causing persistent swelling in the upper right part or stomach pain. If the tumor invades the pectoral muscles, it may cause referred pain in the right shoulder or back. Some patients may experience an enlarged liver due to the increased size of the tumor, which feels painful when pressed. Additionally, the increase and pressure from the tumor can obstruct bile excretion, leading to jaundice, and symptoms of cirrhosis may also appear. In general, the main symptoms of advanced liver cancer include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weight loss. If the condition worsens, metastatic symptoms may occur; lung metastasis can cause the patient to cough and expel phlegm, and bone metastasis can cause localized pain and lumps.

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Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

59sec

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Is primary liver cancer hereditary?

The occurrence of tumors is related to multiple factors including genetics, environment, and the lifestyle habits of the patient. Therefore, primary liver cancer does have a genetic component. If parents, siblings, grandparents, etc., have a history of liver cancer, the offspring of such patients might have a higher probability of developing liver cancer compared to the general population. However, it's not absolute, as it also depends on other factors like environment, personal dietary habits, lifestyle habits, whether one has hepatitis, alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and other similar factors. Thus, those with a family history of liver cancer are likely to have a higher risk of developing the condition and should be more vigilant about disease screening. Screening should be more frequent than for the general population, but this is not an absolute rule.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo

Oncology

1min 3sec

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Will early-stage liver cancer cause a low-grade fever?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer may experience low-grade fevers, primarily due to the following two reasons: First, tumor fever. In the early stages of liver cancer, some tumor cells can release tumor mediators into the bloodstream, affecting the function of the temperature regulation center and causing the patient to develop a fever. This type of tumor fever is usually not very high, remaining below 38.5°C, without concurrent symptoms or signs of infection. A complete blood count typically indicates that the total number of white blood cells and the proportion of neutrophils are not elevated. The second scenario involves patients in the early stages of liver cancer experiencing fever due to concurrent infections. These patients often present with symptoms and signs related to infection, such as coughing up phlegm, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and urinary frequency, urgency, or pain. The proportion of white blood cells and neutrophils is significantly increased in these cases.