What Are the Treatments for a Liver Mass?

Tumors that occur in the liver are classified as benign and malignant. Benign tumors of the liver are rare. Epithelium-derived are: hepatocellular adenoma, adenoma-like hyperplasia, bile duct adenoma, bile duct cystadenoma, and micro hamartoma, and from the mesoderm: cavernous hemangioma, infantile hemangioendothelial cell tumor. Mixed tumors include teratomas. Congenital liver cysts are also benign tumors. Malignant tumors of the liver are mainly primary liver cancer and secondary liver cancer. Other malignant tumors such as hepatic sarcoma and malignant hemangioendothelioma are rare.

Tumors that occur in the liver are classified as benign and malignant. Benign tumors of the liver are rare. Epithelium-derived are: hepatocellular adenoma, adenoma-like hyperplasia, bile duct adenoma, bile duct cystadenoma, and micro hamartoma, and from the mesoderm: cavernous hemangioma, infantile hemangioendothelial cell tumor. Mixed tumors include teratomas. Congenital liver cysts are also benign tumors. Malignant tumors of the liver are mainly primary liver cancer and secondary liver cancer. Other malignant tumors such as hepatic sarcoma and malignant hemangioendothelioma are rare.

Chinese name

Liver tumor

Foreign name

hepatoma

Liver tumors I. Causes and common diseases:

1. Primary liver cancer:

The onset of liver cancer is related to certain chemical carcinogens and water and soil factors such as cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, aflatoxin and the like.

2. Secondary liver cancer:

Half of them come from primary tumors of the digestive system, such as colorectal, rectal, gastric and pancreatic cancers.

3. Hepatic cavernous hemangioma:

The exact cause is unknown. May be related to developmental abnormalities, new organisms, focal liver necrosis, and estrogen effects.

Liver tumors 2. Differential diagnosis:

Hepatic hemangioma, metastases, cysts, and focal nodular hyperplasia usually occur in the liver of the human body. After enhanced CT scanning, the location of the lesion, location changes, and characteristics of the lesion can be clearly observed. As shown in the reconstructed image after scanning, the arterial marginal area of patients with hepatic hemangioma has cloud-like enhancement or nodular enhancement. The location of the lesion changes with time. At the same time, the enhancement has the typical characteristics of persistence and spread to the center. After a delay scan, an iso-dense state can be observed. The arterial image of the primary liver cancer showed a special enhancement of the transient nodular pattern, and the delay period was a low-density state. The portal vein edge of intrahepatic metastases not only has continuous enhancement, but also has a ring-like enhancement. Hepatic cysts have sharp point-like enhancement in the arterial phase, while focal nodular hyperplasia in the arterial phase is significantly enhanced, and the central scar-like low-density area is delayed intensified.

Liver tumors III. Examination:

(1) Multi-slice spiral CT scan:

Examinations are performed by fully observing the overall view of the liver, fully revealing tumors, bile duct anatomy, and hilar great vessels and other related systems, and the diagnosis rate of liver cancer will be clearer after enhanced CT scans. Because the liver is a metastatic tumor easily metastatic site, hematogenous metastasis, organ infiltration and metastasis are common, but most tumor metastases have less blood storage than liver parenchyma. It can be clearly observed that the density of liver tumor lesions is lower than that of liver parenchyma during CT examination. The center density is the lowest, so in clinical detection, liver metastases are prone to misdiagnosis.

(Two) magnetic resonance imaging:

According to the patient's specific medical history and MRI diagnosis or other methods to detect and diagnose to improve the diagnosis rate. For slow emergence, MRI should be given, and long T1 and T2 signals can be clearly found.

Liver tumors IV. Principles of treatment:

(I) Primary liver cancer:

1. Early use of comprehensive treatment based on surgical resection. Surgical resection includes partial liver resection and liver transplantation.

2. Ablation: Microwave, radio frequency, freezing, absolute ethanol injection and other ablation treatments are usually performed under ultrasound guidance.

3. Radiation therapy.

4. Transcatheter arterial and / or portal vein regional chemotherapy or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

5. Systemic drug treatment includes biological and molecular targeted drugs, as well as traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine treatment.

(B) secondary liver cancer:

Metastatic liver cancer must be comprehensively treated according to the treatment of the primary tumor. The surgical methods include partial liver resection and liver transplantation. Both primary cancer and liver metastatic cancer can be resected, and concurrent surgery is feasible. For patients with liver metastases that are not suitable for surgical resection or those who cannot be surgically removed during surgery, regional infusion chemotherapy, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, and ablation can be used.

(Three) cavernous hemangiomas of the liver:

Surgical resection is the most effective method for treating cavernous hemangiomas of the liver. However, small asymptomatic cavernous hemangioma does not require treatment and can be followed up regularly.