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LIVER CANCER: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The liver breaks down drugs and alcohol and gets rid of toxins in the body. We asked Dr. Robert Lim, Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology, to tell us more about liver cancer.

How common is liver cancer?

Liver cancer can affect anyone. However, people with conditions including hepatitis B or C, heavy alcohol consumption, and cirrhosis (in which the healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue) are at a higher risk.

According to Dr. Lim, liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer in males in Singapore and ranks high in cancer deaths in females.

The most common primary type starts in the liver cells (hepatocellular carcinoma) or in the cells lining the bile ducts (cholangiocarcinoma). Secondary liver cancer is cancer that has spread to the liver from cancer that started in another part of the body.

How do I know I have liver cancer?

“We diagnose using ultrasound scans, MRI or CT scans, and blood tests. A biopsy may be necessary at times as well to help conclude that it is indeed a liver cancer problem,” Dr. Lim explained.

“For high risk patients, we advise them to go for regular ultrasound scan of the liver every 6-12 months with a blood test,” he advised.

Liver cancer may present differently. Unfortunately, symptoms are usually only present in later stages of liver cancer such as jaundice, yellowing of the eyes, weight loss, fatigue, or pain.

What are the treatment options?

“For early stage, surgery is an option and liver transplantation for selected cases. If these are not possible, we can direct treatments to the liver by using heat to shrink the tumor or deliver chemotherapy together with blocking blood vessels directly leading to the liver tumor. Both are non-surgical techniques,” Dr. Lim explained.

People who have advanced liver cancer may consider a targeted therapy drug. “These drugs target cell signaling within cancer cells that allow cancer to grow. Most recently, immunotherapy has made significant improvements in terms of its ability to shrink, control liver cancer and prolong survival time,” he added.

-Robert Lim, Medical Oncologist at Farrer Park Hospital