What Is a Hepatic Tumor?

Liver tumors are tumor lesions that occur in the liver. The liver is one of the tumor-prone sites, benign tumors are rare, and metastatic tumors are more common in malignant tumors. Primary tumors can occur in hepatocyte cord, bile duct epithelium, blood vessels, or other mesoderm tissues. Most of the metastatic tumors are metastatic cancers, and a few are metastatic sarcomas.

So how should this tumor be distinguished?

Tumors can be divided into benign and malignant types according to the characteristics of tumor growth and their effects and harms on the human body. There is no absolute boundary between benign tumors and malignant tumors. Malignant tumors with the lowest malignancy are similar to benign tumors. Some benign tumors can cause great harm to the human body because they grow around important organs. People usually refer to cancer as malignant tumors, and patients generally refer to patients with malignant tumors.

Overview of liver tumors

The most common benign tumor of the liver is hepatic hemangioma. This disease can occur at any age and is caused by vascular malformations due to vasodilation. The disease is congenital and does not cause malignant changes. Most hemangiomas are less than 5 cm in diameter, and those with tumor diameters greater than 5 cm are called giant hemangiomas.

Clinical manifestations of liver tumors

Most hepatic hemangiomas have no obvious discomfort and are often found during routine physical examinations or abdominal surgery. When the hemangioma increases to more than 5 cm, non-specific abdominal symptoms may occur, including:

1. Abdominal mass: The mass has a cystic sensation, no tenderness, and the surface is smooth or matte. Auscultation at the mass can sometimes hear conductive vascular noise;

2, gastrointestinal symptoms: there may be pain and discomfort in the right upper abdomen, as well as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, belching, indigestion and saturation after eating;

3. Symptoms of compression: A huge hemangioma can cause compression and compression of surrounding tissues and organs. Compression of the lower end of the esophagus may cause difficulty in swallowing; compression of the extrahepatic biliary tract may occur with obstructive jaundice and gallbladder fluid; compression of the portal vein system may cause splenomegaly and ascites; compression of the lungs may cause dyspnea and atelectasis; compression of the stomach and Duodenum, which may show gastrointestinal symptoms;

4. Hepatic hemangioma ruptures and bleeding, which can cause severe upper abdominal pain, bleeding and shock symptoms, is one of the most serious complications. Most of the hepatic hemangiomas growing below the costal arch cause rupture and bleeding due to external forces. Extremely rare

5. Kasabach-Merritt syndrome is an abnormal coagulation caused by hemangiomas accompanied by thrombocytopenia and consumption of a large number of coagulation factors. Its pathogenesis is blood retention in giant hemangiomas, which consumes a large amount of red blood cells, platelets, coagulation factors , V, and fibrinogen, causing abnormal coagulation mechanisms and can further develop into DIC;

6. Other: When the pedicled hemangioma growing outside the liver is twisted, necrosis can occur, and severe abdominal pain, fever and collapse may occur. There are also individual patients who have arteriovenous fistula formation due to huge hemangioma, which leads to increased blood volume to the heart and aggravates the burden on the heart. There are also rare cases of biliary tract bleeding.

Liver tumor assistant examination

1.B-ultrasound

2. Contrast ultrasound

3.CT scan

4.MRI

5. Others: hepatic arteriography, PET

Liver tumor disease treatment

Most diagnosed asymptomatic patients can be followed up without treatment. Whether hepatic hemangioma requires surgical resection should be determined based on the tumor's growth rate, clinical symptoms, and initial rupture, rather than the absolute size of the tumor volume. Because this disease is a benign lesion and has no tendency to malignant changes, the pros and cons should be carefully weighed before operation and implemented carefully.

1. Surgical treatment: mainly hemangioma resection, hemangio suture, hepatic artery ligation, microwave curing, radiofrequency treatment, and hepatic artery embolization. For diffuse hepatic hemangiomas, or unresectable giant hemangiomas, such as decompensated liver function or Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, liver transplantation is also feasible. For the treatment of hepatic hemangiomas, a variety of factors should be considered, and different treatment methods should be selected based on the principles of patient benefit, safety and effectiveness.

2. Non-surgical treatment: including hepatic artery embolization or laparoscopic hepatic artery ligation, local radiotherapy, oral steroids and intramuscular interferon a2.