Liver cancer is the 7th most common cancer in the United States. Men suffer from this cancer three times more often than women. In the past 37 years, the number of liver cancer cases have tripled.
When patients first suspect they have this type of cancer, they undergo a variety of tests to identify the disease.
Sympthoms of liver cancer
At its early stages, liver cancer may not manifest itself so it can be hard to diagnose. Most liver cancer patients, who hear the diagnosis at the early stage, discover the disease accidentally. As liver cancer progresses, patients may experience the following symptoms:
- Stomach pain
- Abdominal discomfort
- Yellowish skin and eye whites turning yellow
- Light color stools
- Vomiting
- Feeling nauseous
- Easy bruising
- Weakness and fatigue
Diagnosing Liver Cancer
In order to diagnose the liver cancer at its early stages, it’s vital to know the patient’s medical history. The people with a higher risk of liver cancer:
- Are over 50 years old
- Have suffered from hepatitis B or C
- Have been consuming two or more alcoholic drinks per day for years
- Suffer from liver cirrhosis (which is often caused by hepatitis and/or alcohol abuse)
- Have been exposed to aflatoxin (toxic substance excreted by certain types of mold)
- Suffer from diabetes
- Are obese
The doctor starts from examining the medical history and proceeds to do the following tests:
- Liver function test
- Abdominal CT or MRI scans
- Blood tests (check for alpha-fetoprotein)
- Liver biopsy
Standart Liver Cancer Treatment
Once a patient is diagnosed with liver cancer, the standard treatment procedure includes:
- Hepatectomy (Removing part of the liver)
- Liver transplant
- Ablation (using heat or ethanol injections to kill the cancer cells)
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted (medication) immunotherapy
- Artery embolization – blocking the hepatic artery by injecting medication to reduce the blood flow to the liver
- Chemoembolization – injecting chemotherapy meds into the hepatic artery
All the above methods are mostly unpleasant. Some are painful and cause the patient to suffer significantly.
Alternative Liver Cancer treatment
More and more liver cancer patients are turning to alternative treatments, which involve boosting the immune system to help the body fight cancer on its own. Alternative liver cancer treatments have been known to help patients successfully treat it. Insulin Potentiated Therapy (IPT) to kill the cancer cells directly. Heat and Ozone to make the environment unfavorable to the cancer. Homeopathy: we prepare a remedy from your pathology slides and use it to treat your cancer. Some others that are used as part of the therapy include:
- Acupuncture – can help strengthen immune function and reduce pain
- Herbs – several studies have shown that milk thistle can help treat liver cancer
- Exercise – fights the fatigue, which comes with liver cancer
- Diet – proper diet can help the liver fight the disease
- Massage – can deal with edema, which is common in liver cancer patients
Find out how to fight Liver Cancer alternatively today
At our Phoenix, Arizona alternative cancer treatment center, we provide an individual approach to each liver cancer patient and come up with a holistic treatment plan. Call us today at (602) 404-0400 to schedule an appointment with one of our liver cancer experts.