Liver cancer is often detected during follow-up care for alcoholic cirrhosis or viral hepatitis. However, when it affects a healthy person, it is asymptomatic in most cases, which often leads to late diagnosis. If it is a so-called “silent” liver cancer, symptoms may appear and vary depending on the stage, according to the Léon Bérard Cancer Center. These may include:
Fatigue;
abdominal pain localized to the right side of the abdomen;
unexplained weight loss;
jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes);
abdominal swelling;
loss of appetite;
nausea;
itching. In a video posted to her TikTok account in November 2023, Dr. Pauline Guillouche, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, reminded viewers that symptoms indicative of liver dysfunction “are not specific to liver cancer, but should prompt a consultation with a doctor for further testing.”
Liver cancer: What are the possible treatments?
On its website, the INCa (National Cancer Institute) lists the “four standard treatment types” for liver cancer:
Partial surgical removal of the part of the liver containing the tumor;
liver transplantation;
tumor ablation, which aims to destroy the tumor locally using heat or cold, through the skin and therefore without opening the abdomen;
chemotherapy, which aims to reduce the size of the tumor and slow the progression of the disease.
Liver cancer: key points to remember
In 2023, almost 11,660 new cases of liver cancer were diagnosed in France.
Alcohol, tobacco, hepatitis B and C, obesity and being overweight, hemochromatosis, fatty liver disease, and a sedentary lifestyle are risk factors.
Liver cancer is asymptomatic in most cases, which often leads to late diagnosis.
Symptoms may appear and vary depending on the stage. These symptoms are not specific to liver cancer, but they should prompt a consultation for further testing.
