Liver metastases are settlements or daughter tumors of malignant tumors that are located in other parts of the body. This differentiates the term from liver carcinoma, which occurs directly as a cancerous tumor in the liver.
What are liver metastases?
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With the term Liver metastases liver tumors are described, which are settlements from other tumors in the organism. Often they develop because of colon cancer. The malignant cancer cells reach the organ via the lymph or blood vessels, multiply and cause liver metastases to develop.
Most liver cancers are secondary liver cancer. Another focus of cancer in the body, primary cancer, has spread, creating cancer of the liver. Aside from tumors in the intestine, other types of cancer can also be responsible for this development.
These include stomach or colon cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. If the causative cancer has metastasized in the liver, the disease is at an advanced stage. How the further course of the liver metastasis disease progresses depends largely on the primary cancerous tumor.
causes
The causes for Liver metastases are different. Often the person affected already has a cancerous tumor in the intestine, which thus triggers secondary liver cancer by spreading metastases.
The classic characteristics of malignant tumor growths are spread to other tissues and organs and the development of metastases. Daughter tumors in the liver are liver metastases. Almost 45% of all cancer cells in the liver are liver metastases.
Mostly they are based on primary tumors in the gastrointestinal tract, which include colon cancer, gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. Occasionally, other malignant tumors such as ovarian cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, uterine cancer, malignant skin cancer and breast cancer can also be the cause of liver metastases.
Symptoms, ailments & signs
At the beginning of the disease there are usually no health problems. Only with the growth of the liver metastases do symptoms appear, such as nausea and loss of appetite or the characteristic tenderness on pressure in the right upper abdomen. Occasionally a palpable swelling may be noticed under the costal arch.
This feels noticeably hard and hurts to the touch. General symptoms of illness such as fever and tiredness can also occur. Those affected usually lose weight and have a sickly appearance in the later stages of the disease, which is manifested by pale skin and sunken eye sockets, among other things.
Bile congestion can also occur as a result of the tumors. This manifests itself through typical symptoms of jaundice, but can also lead to a strong feeling of illness. In the most severe case, liver metastases cause serious liver dysfunction, which can ultimately lead to organ failure. The symptoms of liver metastases usually develop insidiously and can appear over the course of months or years. If there is no treatment, the symptoms lead to symptoms of failure throughout the body and ultimately to the death of the sick person.
Diagnosis & course
There is a suspicion Liver metastases, various examinations are carried out on the person concerned. These metastases often lead to liver damage, which can be detected by a liver function test or a blood test.
Ultrasound, CT and magnetic resonance imaging of the liver are further diagnostic methods for detecting the cancerous tumor. A biopsy or examination of the fine tissue can confirm the diagnosis. If it is not known where the tumor originated, further examinations of the organism are carried out. This can be a colonoscopy, for example, as colon cancer is the most common cause of liver metastases.
The further course of the disease and life expectancy depend on the underlying disease. It is also crucial to what extent the liver is already penetrated by metastases. Individual settlements can easily be removed by a surgeon, so they have the best prognosis. The chances of recovery decrease rapidly as the liver metastases expand.
Complications
As a rule, the liver metastases lead to the death of the patient. In this case, treatment is only possible to a limited extent, so that the life expectancy of the person affected is significantly reduced and restricted by the disease. The patients suffer primarily from a severe loss of appetite and thus also from a significant weight loss.
It is also not uncommon for vomiting and permanent nausea to occur. The loss of appetite also causes various deficiency symptoms that have a negative impact on the patient's health. The liver problems usually lead to jaundice and severe abdominal pain. At night, the liver metastases also lead to sweating in most cases and thus to a significant reduction in the quality of life of the person concerned.
In many cases, liver metastases can no longer be treated. Those affected suffer death. The course also depends heavily on the primary cancer disease, which is why it can generally not be predicted. Furthermore, many patients are also dependent on chemotherapy, which is usually associated with side effects.
When should you go to the doctor?
If there is pain in the upper body at the level of the stomach or in the area of the ribs, as well as swelling should be examined by a doctor. In particular, changes in the right area of the upper abdomen should be presented to a doctor. If pain spreads or intensifies, a doctor is needed. If there is a loss of appetite, if there is unwanted weight loss or if the usual level of performance is reduced, the changes are considered worrying. Yellow discoloration of the face, eyes or skin should be presented to a doctor. The abnormalities of the skin's appearance indicate a disturbance of the liver activity, which should be examined.
Increased tiredness, internal weakness, general malaise and apathy are all signs of an existing illness. A doctor should be visited as soon as the symptoms persist or increase for several weeks. A change in the usual memory performance, abnormalities in mood and sleep disorders should be discussed with a doctor. Since patients with liver metastases can have a fatal course of the disease without early treatment, a visit to a doctor is recommended as soon as possible if the first irregularities occur. In addition, every adult should take part in the medical check-ups and preventive examinations offered so that early detection and rapid diagnosis are possible in the event of illness.
Treatment & Therapy
How the therapy of the Liver metastases designed, depends on the number of settlements. In principle there are different therapeutic approaches. The curative treatment aims to cure the disease. If the chances of this are futile, palliative therapy is considered. This should alleviate the symptoms and increase the quality of life.
Individual metastases can be removed by surgery. During this surgical procedure, the doctor completely removes the liver metastases from the tissues of the organ. Sometimes part of the liver must also be removed. If there are only a few liver foci in the organ, so-called local therapy methods can also be used as an alternative or in addition to the operation. These enable a direct and targeted fight against the malignant tissue.
Furthermore, the healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor is largely spared. Cryotherapy, which is also known as freezing, is one of the methods of local therapy. Other procedures are interstitial laser coagulation, percutaneous ethanol injection and radio-frequency ablation. If palliative treatment was chosen, surgery was no longer possible due to the large spread. Chemotherapy for liver metastases can, however, prove to be life-prolonging.
Outlook & forecast
Liver metastases usually have an unfavorable course of the disease and therefore a poor prognosis. The more advanced the disease, the worse the prospect of recovery. Without medical treatment, the cancer cells continue to spread in the body via the blood system. Further metastases develop and the cancer spreads.
As the disease progresses, multiple organ failure and thus premature death set in. If the metastases in the liver can be completely surgically removed, the prognosis improves. If the cancer has not spread further in the organism, this is also a positive factor for further development.
Cancer therapy is associated with numerous risks and limitations in quality of life. Nevertheless, it is currently the best way to successfully manage liver metastases. If the liver is already very badly metastasized, an organ transplant can help under certain circumstances. If the patient's immune system is stable and no further metastases have developed in the human body, a donor organ can contribute significantly to the prospect of a cure. If the difficult surgical procedure goes without complications and the body accepts the new liver well, the patient can recover.
prevention
There are no special measures to prevent Liver metastases. In general, a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of developing a cancerous tumor. This includes a low-fat, varied diet and abstaining from nicotine and alcohol. The personal body defense can also be strengthened by regular physical activity, which reduces the chance of liver metastases.
Aftercare
Follow-up care is necessary after every cancer. What kind of this requires depends on the outcome of the initial therapy. If the liver metastases could not, not completely, or inadequately be removed, follow-up care consists mainly of palliative aspects. The aim is to accompany the patient until the end of his life in such a way that he or she feels little or no discomfort.
In addition to providing medication, the doctor can also prescribe psychotherapy or refer patients to pastoral staff to discuss life issues. If the metastases can be removed, life expectancy increases. Doctors then try to realize this positive prospect as part of the aftercare. This is done by monitoring in order to be able to treat neoplasms as early as possible. Initially, there are scheduled follow-up examinations every few months.
Then the distance between the appointments widens. If there are no new diseases after the fifth year, annual follow-up is sufficient. The treating doctor agrees a detailed examination plan with his patient. He also provides information about other therapies and medication to be taken. Rehabilitation measures can sometimes be useful after an operation. An examination usually includes a detailed physical examination, an ultrasound image, an X-ray, and a blood draw.
You can do that yourself
Patients with liver metastases have been suffering from cancer for a long time. In most cases they are undergoing cancer therapy and their health is badly damaged. In everyday life, it is particularly important for these patients not to lose their courage to face life. You should overcome yourself every day in order to pursue different activities as far as possible according to your individual physical capabilities.
Motivational measures are meaningful and should be used. In addition to mental coaching, methods such as yoga or meditation help. These strengthen the patient's emotional state and help reduce stress. In addition, good nutrition is of particular importance. Meals should be rich in vitamins and balanced, as pathogens can enter the organism more quickly due to the weakened physical condition. The immune system can be supported by the food intake in order to have enough defenses available.
Leisure activities help to strengthen well-being. A close exchange should take place with friends or relatives so that participation in social life is guaranteed. Conversations with other people are important and helpful in reducing fears or distracting one's own situations. In self-help groups or in direct contact with other sick people, open questions can be clarified or tips can be given to improve the quality of life.
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