Karmanos Shines a Green Light on Liver Cancer in October: Know the Risks, Know the Signs

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, cancer centers, and other organizations nationwide recognize October as Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Worldwide, liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer around the world each year. Here in the U.S., over 42,200 new cases of liver cancer are estimated to occur in 2025. Since 1980, the diagnosis of this disease has tripled, and death rates have doubled, but due to extensive cancer research, patients at Karmanos have access to better treatments than were even available just five years ago.

Lowering Your Risk of Liver Cancer

The liver is one of the five organs we cannot live without, aside from the brain, heart, kidneys, and lungs. It's important to do what you can to prevent the disease. There are a few choices you can make that are linked to lowering your risk of liver cancer:

• Limit alcohol use.
• Do not smoke or quit smoking.
• Eat a balanced diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Learn and address any genetic mutations that are linked to liver cancer.
• Get the hepatitis B vaccine, and
• If you contract the hepatitis B or C virus, receive treatment.

The Signs, Symptoms and Screening for Liver Cancer

Many of the signs and symptoms of liver cancer do not present until the later stages.

"For patients who have a high risk of developing liver cancer - this includes people who have cirrhosis (a disease where liver cells are damaged and repaired with scar tissue), a chronic hepatitis B infection, or hereditary hemochromatosis (an excess of iron accumulated in the liver) - we can do blood tests and ultrasounds, or MRI, every six months to try to monitor and identify cancer as early as we can," explained Najeeb Al Hallak, M.D., MS, medical oncologist and co-leader of the Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).

Without a recommended screening, knowing when you should see a doctor is important. Once liver cancer develops to later stages, the common symptoms that can occur are:

• A hard lump on the right side just below the rib cage.
• A swollen abdomen.
• Bruising or bleeding easily.
• Discomfort in the upper abdomen on the right side.
• Jaundice (the yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes).
• Nausea, vomiting and weight loss for no reason.
• Pale, chalky bowel movements and dark urine.
• Unusual tiredness or weakness.

Liver Cancer Treatment at Karmanos Cancer Institute

The Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology MDT at Karmanos includes surgical, medical and radiation oncologists; gastroenterologists; interventional radiologists; pathologists; pharmacists; specialized nurse practitioners; dietitians; social workers; research personnel; and genetic counselors.

The Karmanos team employs the latest technology and treatments, including immunotherapy, minimally invasive surgery, advanced radiation therapy, and the TheraBionic P1 device. Karmanos was the first cancer center to prescribe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved TheraBionic P1 device to patients outside clinical trials. This device is small, portable, and delivers radiofrequency electromagnetic fields throughout the entire body, which block the growth of tumor cells in the liver without affecting normal cells. It is currently FDA approved for adult patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC - the most common form of liver cancer) who have failed first- and second-line therapies.

Clinical trials are also available at Karmanos, offering liver cancer patients many more treatment options that are not available at other centers. Click here for a list of open clinical trials for gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine cancers.

Learn more about liver cancer here. To see one of our liver cancer specialists for a second opinion, visit karmanos.org/secondopinion or call 1-800-KARMANOS.