Patient's question:
My grandfather has always been in good health, but recently for the past month, he has been experiencing pain in the right upper abdomen, particularly the liver area. Now he doesn't like to eat and is averse to greasy food. He feels extremely weak, and black stools have reappeared. At times, he also vomits blood irregularly. He has become quite thin, and his complexion is yellow. When he went to the hospital for a thorough examination, it was diagnosed as liver cancer. What are the symptoms of liver cancer?Doctor's answer:
Most patients with advanced liver cancer present with right hypochondriac pain as the initial symptom, with an incidence rate below 50%. The pain is usually located in the right hypochondriac region or below the xiphoid process, and the pain quality is intermittent or persistent dull ache. The pain can be dull or sharp, and in the period before the pain, patients may experience discomfort in the upper right abdomen. The pain can vary in intensity or resolve spontaneously in the short term. The main cause of the pain is the rapid shrinkage of the tumor, which controls the liver capsule and produces traction pain, or it may be caused by the purulent material of the tumor stimulating the liver capsule. Some patients also exhibit complications of liver cirrhosis, such as black stools, vomiting blood, and jaundice. In addition, during the treatment of liver cancer, patients should not only receive symptomatic treatment.