What are the symptoms of small liver cancer?
Disease description:
I have a colleague who was diagnosed with liver cancer. Later, I heard from someone else that there is a type called "small liver cancer." I'm not sure whether liver cancer and small liver cancer are the same disease. Could you please tell me what symptoms small liver cancer has?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Qi Zhirong
Small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), also known as subclinical HCC or early-stage HCC, typically presents with nonspecific clinical symptoms, which may include:
1. **Hepatic pain**: Dull pain in the upper abdominal liver area, either intermittent or persistent. It may resolve spontaneously but is often overlooked.
2. **Gastrointestinal symptoms**: Such as abdominal distension, decreased appetite, nausea, and vomiting, mainly caused by tumor compression of the gastrointestinal tract or impaired liver function.
3. **Systemic symptoms**: Including fatigue, weight loss, and continuous decline in body weight, primarily due to insufficient nutrient intake caused by cancer cell proliferation.
4. **Fever**: Some patients with small HCC may experience low-grade fever, often mistaken as a symptom of the common cold.
Because the clinical manifestations of small HCC are not specific, patients experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms should seek timely medical evaluation to avoid missed or delayed diagnosis and to ensure early intervention and treatment.
