Does liver palm mean liver cancer?

Written by Wu Hai Wu

Gastroenterology

Updated on February 05, 2025

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Liver palm is not liver cancer; it is a clinical symptom caused by the stage of liver cirrhosis in patients. Once liver palm appears, it is important to pay attention and visit the gastroenterology or hepatology department of a standard hospital for a complete liver function test and upper abdominal imaging to confirm the diagnosis of the disease. Depending on the specific diagnosis, appropriate treatment measures should be taken. If liver palm is caused by alcoholic liver disease leading to cirrhosis, active abstinence from alcohol is necessary. If it is caused by viral hepatitis, antiviral treatment is required, along with active liver-protective treatment.

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Early symptoms of primary liver cancer

Primary liver cancer often shows no obvious symptoms in its early stages. It may present symptoms similar to indigestion, hepatitis, etc. For example, there might be slight discomfort or pain in the upper right abdomen, aversion to oil, or loss of appetite. Generally, regular health check-ups are needed, including imaging studies of the liver such as ultrasound, CT, or MRI. Liver function tests and tumor markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) should also be performed. In most cases of primary liver cancer, AFP levels will be elevated. Combined with imaging studies, a preliminary diagnosis can be made. A definitive diagnosis requires liver biopsy or confirmation through pathology after surgery.

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How to reduce fever in late-stage liver cancer

For late-stage liver cancer patients experiencing fever, antipyretic treatment should be based on different circumstances. If the fever is due to an infection, it often exceeds 39℃ and is accompanied by symptoms and signs related to the infection, such as cough and yellow sputum, abdominal pain, diarrhea, frequent urination, urgency, and painful urination. In such cases, antibiotics should be used for anti-infective treatment, along with antipyretic analgesics for fever reduction. If the fever is due to tumor fever or interventions like liver procedures, there are no infection-related factors, usually the temperature does not exceed 38.5℃, and there are no symptoms or signs related to infection. The treatment primarily involves the use of antipyretic analgesics for fever reduction.

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The difference between primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer

Primary liver cancer refers to malignant tumors that originate in the liver, while metastatic liver cancer refers to cancers that start in other parts of the body and then spread to the liver through lymphatic and blood circulation, among other routes. Another difference is that primary liver cancer is more likely to be a single lesion, while metastatic liver cancer generally involves multiple lesions. Regarding the differences between primary and metastatic liver cancer, their treatment methods also differ. For primary liver cancer, interventional chemotherapy or surgery, such as hepatic lobectomy, can be performed if the tumor is small. In contrast, metastatic liver cancer usually involves multiple lesions, making surgery alone challenging. Additionally, the primary tumor also requires treatment.

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Does early-stage liver cancer metastasize?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not experience metastasis. This is because for patients with early-stage liver cancer, the lesions are localized and have not spread, thus being classified as early-stage. Moreover, the general treatment for patients with early-stage liver cancer involves curative surgery. Since the lesions are localized, in most cases, there will be no recurrence or metastasis after the surgery. Therefore, for early-stage patients, there is no need to administer adjuvant radiotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy and other anti-tumor treatments after the surgery. However, once the liver cancer lesions invade surrounding tissues and metastasize to distant sites, it indicates that the lesions have spread, and the clinical stage has progressed to mid or late stages, losing the opportunity for curative surgery. Most patients undergo comprehensive treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy which generally results in a reduction in survival time.

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The difference between primary liver cancer and secondary liver cancer

Primary liver cancer, also commonly referred to as liver cancer, originates in the liver itself and is not transferred from other parts of the body. Secondary liver cancer occurs when the primary tumor originates in another location and then metastasizes to the liver, causing hepatic space-occupying lesions; this is referred to as secondary liver cancer. The main difference between the two types is their origin. Additionally, primary liver cancer is often solitary but may develop intrahepatic or distant metastases as the disease progresses. In cases of secondary liver cancer, multiple intrahepatic metastatic lesions may be discovered at the onset. Moreover, primary liver cancer may often display an elevated alpha-fetoprotein tumor marker, whereas this marker might be normal in secondary liver cancer.