Can a cystic lesion in the liver be liver cancer?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on February 14, 2025
00:00
00:00

Clinically, cystic lesions in the liver are mostly not liver cancer lesions, because liver cancer is a malignant tumor occurring in the liver.

Clinically, on imaging, it is mainly manifested as occupying lesions in the liver, appearing as multiple hepatic nodules fused into a mass, or as a huge single nodular lesion. These lesions generally appear as solid lesions.

When the tumor is large, ischemic necrosis can occur due to insufficient blood supply to the central area, resulting in cystic changes in the central region of the solid lesion.

Therefore, some patients with large liver cancer may have cystic and solid lesions on imaging, but in most cases, liver cancer lesions are solid.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 6sec home-news-image

How to rule out liver cancer when experiencing right shoulder pain?

Some liver cancer patients may experience abdominal pain that radiates to the shoulder and back, resulting in right shoulder pain. Therefore, when a patient presents with right shoulder pain, to rule out the possibility of liver cancer, some laboratory tests or radiological examinations can be conducted, and if necessary, histopathological examinations can also be performed. If hematological examination does not show an abnormal increase in AFP levels, and radiological examinations do not reveal any abnormal liver conditions such as large masses, nodular tumors, or diffuse liver lesions, and there is no history of hepatitis or cirrhosis, it is generally possible to rule out right shoulder pain caused by liver cancer. To determine the exact cause of the pain, examinations such as X-rays of the right shoulder, CT scans, and if necessary, MRI or bone scans can be conducted to exclude right shoulder pain caused by liver cancer lesions.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ye Xi Yong
Infectious Diseases
28sec home-news-image

Will "small three yang" lead to liver cancer?

Hepatitis B "minor three positives" refers to positivity in the first, fourth, and fifth items of the complete hepatitis B panel. It is common among patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B. There is no necessary correlation between "minor three positives" and cancer. While some patients with "minor three positives" may develop liver cancer, not all liver cancer patients necessarily progress from this condition, indicating no inevitable link between the two.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
1min 9sec home-news-image

What are the early symptoms of liver cancer?

The early symptoms of liver cancer lack specificity, so in clinical practice, early-stage liver cancer is generally detected only during routine screenings or physical examinations. By the time patients present with noticeable symptoms and seek medical attention, the cancer is often in the intermediate or advanced stages, making surgical removal unlikely for most patients. The early symptoms might include non-specific signs such as fatigue. It is usually only in the intermediate or advanced stages that patients experience obvious symptoms like pain in the liver area, palpable abdominal masses, abdominal distension, weight loss, and jaundice. By the time these symptoms appear, it is typically quite late, corresponding to the intermediate or advanced stages of the disease. Early stages typically do not show specific symptoms, though some patients might experience mild abdominal pain, bloating, or fatigue, which are not very specific signs.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Cui
Dentistry
50sec home-news-image

Is bleeding when brushing teeth an early sign of liver cancer?

When a patient has liver cancer, one symptom can be gingival bleeding. Because when a patient has liver cancer, some coagulation factors in the blood are affected, and the patient may frequently experience repeated dental bleeding. Therefore, it is suggested that patients should undergo early diagnostic tests and adopt specific treatment plans. However, repeated gingival bleeding in a patient does not necessarily indicate early-stage liver cancer, as some hematological diseases can also lead to repeated gingival bleeding, such as common thrombocytopenia and some patients with gingivitis. If long-term oral hygiene is neglected, the gingival tissue stays in a state of chronic inflammation, and acute inflammation can lead to bleeding while brushing teeth.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 13sec home-news-image

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.