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Tumor of the liver. Why it happens?

The liver tumor is benign or malignant. In turn, there are primary and secondary malignant neoplasms. The determination of the kind and origin of the tumor allows to establish a competent treatment. Benign growths are rare, asymptomatic and usually found by chance. More frequently diagnosed primary or secondary liver cancer. With metastatic lesions on the face after the detection of the primary tumor of the stomach, colon, lung or breast cancer.

Types of benign liver tumors

In clinical practice following benign tumors of the liver:

Hepatocellular adenoma

osmotrQuite a rare disease. Develops in women after the age of thirty years on the background of a long reception of contraceptives. Adenoma sometimes provokes long-term use of anabolic steroids.

It oligosymptomatic education, often demarcated capsule. If the adenoma was formed anteroinferior Department of liver, palpation reveals a smooth, loose knot. Is characterized by enhanced vascularization. Diagnosed occasionally foci of necrosis and hemorrhage.

Angioma

Vascular formation with the cavernous trabecular structure. Distinguish cavernous hemangioma and caverns. In clinical practice it is considered that angiomas are not true tumors, but represent a congenital vascular anomaly.

Knotty hyperplasia

A tumor of various sizes of dark red or pinkish. Has melkoporistye surface, dense texture.

Separatornyi cysts

Small schools (with a diameter of from 1 to 5 cm). Often multiple. As a rule, asymptomatic. Sometimes patients report pain in the right hypochondrium, constant or periodic.

Very rare benign tumors of the liver:

  • fibroids;
  • lipoma;
  • myxoma;
  • neuroma.

Diagnosis and symptoms of liver tumors

Benign tumors of small size (less than eight inches in diameter) are usually asymptomatic. The first signs appear after forty or fifty years, when education has reached significant proportions.

It

  • dull aching pain in the right upper quadrant;
  • nausea and belching air (with the hemangioma);
  • symptoms of compression of the internal organs (very rare);
  • signs of portal hypertension (due to pressure of the tumor on the bile duct and the intrahepatic branch of the portal vein);
  • obstructive jaundice.

Palpable benign tumor of the liver is very rare.

Diagnostic methods:

  • computed tomography;
  • clickography;
  • laparoscopy;
  • ultrasound.

Common features for all the benign tumors of the liver:

  • the concentration of alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, CA 19-9 antigen in serum is not increased;
  • there is a distinct increase in the activity of ASAT and Alat, gamma-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase.

These tests are reliable only if there are no acute and chronic diffuse liver disease.

The treatment of liver tumors

Potential complications of benign tumors of the liver:

  • ruptured hemangioma with profuse intra-abdominal bleeding;
  • malignancy;
  • vascular thrombosis with subsequent necrosis of the tumor.

In view of the likelihood of complications primary method of treatment for benign tumors – resection of the body within the boundaries of healthy tissue. The amount of operation is determined by the location and size of education.

Malignant tumor of the liver: types

There are primary malignant tumor (grown from the structure of the liver) and secondary (recordedmetastases from other organs). More common metastatic cancer, because all the blood the human body is filtered through the liver.

Form primary tumors:

  • hepatocellular carcinoma (formed in the cells of hepatic parenchyma);
  • angiosarcoma (grows from the vascular endothelium);
  • cholangiocarcinoma (from the epithelial cells of the bile ducts);
  • hepatoblastoma (occurs in children).

Risk factors:

  • chronic hepatitis b and C;
  • cirrhosis of the liver;
  • hemochromatosis;
  • parasitic defeat of the body;
  • syphilis;
  • toxicity of chemical compounds;
  • alcoholism.

The clinical picture of liver cancer

Symptoms of malignant liver tumors is increasing with increasing of tumors:

  • General weakness and malaise;
  • loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting;
  • heavy and pain in the right hypochondrium;
  • weight loss;
  • anemia;
  • ascites;
  • swelling of the lower extremities;
  • endogenous intoxication;
  • liver failure.

Possible bleeding within the peritoneum of the stomach or intestines.

Treatment of malignant tumors

The basic method is surgical. In case of impossibility of surgical intervention the patient receives chemotherapy.

Malignant liver tumors is rapidly evolving. Without treatment, the patient quickly dies. When operable formations, life expectancy up to three years.