In most cases, the lump in the liver is benign and therefore not dangerous, especially when it occurs in people without known liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, and is accidentally discovered during routine checkups.In this case, the nodule can be just a cyst, which is a kind of bag that contains fluid that can be caused by parasites, an abscess or bacteria, for example, in the case of cysts caused by parasites or abscesses, usually require proper treatment.
In general, benign nodules do not cause symptoms and should therefore only be evaluated periodically by tests such as COMPUTed tomography and MRI to determine if they are increasing in size.If this happens and the lump increases, it can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain and digestive disorders, in which case they should be removed with surgery.When the nodule is suspected, a biopsy may also be needed to make the definitive diagnosis.
- In the case of a malignant nodule.
- It is usually a metastasis and occurs in people with cancer in another location.
- Or liver cancer itself.
- Called hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Which usually occurs in people with liver disease; therefore.
- Each time a liver nodule occurs appears in a person with cirrhosis.
- There is a high probability of being cancerous and therefore it is necessary to go to the hepatologist to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment.
- Learn more about the liver tumor and how to treat it.
The onset of a lump in the liver may have several causes, the most common are:
Many cases of liver lump are just a cyst.Cysts are usually simple, benign and cause no symptoms and therefore do not require treatment.When caused by parasites, they can cause symptoms and must be removed by surgery or drainage of their contents.Rarely there are cysts associated with genetic diseases, that is, that are born with the person and that are usually in large numbers, in this case transplantation is the most appropriate treatment, in other cases there are more cysts suspected of malignancy, which should be treated more quickly.
The nodule can also be an abscess, which requires treatment with antibiotics or may be drained or sucked away with a needle.
For cysts and abscesses, CT, MRI and ultrasound are often sufficient to make the diagnosis and allow the hepatologist to choose the most appropriate treatment.Learn more about liver cysts and liver abscesses.
It is the second most common liver nodule, the most common in women between 20 and 50 years old.Most of the time, it does not cause symptoms, being detected in routine exams.This hyperplasia is unlikely to become malignant, so just follow tests such as ultrasound, CT, or MRI.The use of the pill may promote its growth, although it is not the cause of the lump, so women who take the pill usually have a follow-up every 6 to 12 months.
Surgical treatment is recommended in case of symptoms, doubts about diagnosis despite examinations or if suspected of adenoma, which has an increased risk of malignancy or complications, better understand what focal nodular hyperplasia is.
Hemangioma is a congenital malformation of blood vessels, that is, it is born with the person and is the most common benign liver mass.It usually occurs accidentally at routine checkups, as most don’t give symptoms.
Diagnosis is usually made by ultrasound, TOM or MRI, and if measuring up to 5 cm no treatment or follow-up is necessary, however, if it eventually exceeds 5 cm, follow-up should be done every 6 months to 1 year.Sometimes it can grow rapidly and compress the liver capsule or other structures, causing pain and other symptoms, or it may show signs of malignancy and should be removed by surgery.
Boxers, footballers and women who intend to become pregnant and who have large hemangiomas, although without symptoms, are at risk of bleeding or rupture of the hemangioma, which are more serious situations and therefore should undergo surgery to remove them.The person has a great hemangioma and feels severe and sudden pain and with a drop in blood pressure, should quickly consult a doctor to be evaluated, as this may be one of these cases.
Learn more about what hemangioma is, how to confirm it, and how to treat it.
Adenoma is a benign liver tumor, which is relatively rare, but is more common in women between the ages of 20 and 40, as the use of the pill greatly increases the chances of developing it.In addition to the pill, the use of anabolic steroids and certain genetic glycogen accumulation diseases can also increase the chances of developing it.
The adenoma is usually detected during examinations due to complaints of abdominal pain or, as an accidental discovery during routine examinations. The diagnosis can be made by ultrasound, tomography, or MRI, which can distinguish adenoma from focal nodular hyperplasia of liver cancer, for example.
As in most cases the adenoma is less than 5 cm tall and therefore has a low risk of cancer and complications such as bleeding or ruptures, does not need treatment and can simply be followed by regular examinations, which in case of menopause should be performed.Adenomas larger than 5 cm, on the other hand, have an increased risk of complications or cancer and may need to be removed by surgery.To better understand liver adenoma and its complications.
When the person has no history of liver disease, the nodule is usually benign and does not represent cancer; However, when liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, the nodule is cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma.
In addition, the nodule may also occur from the presence of cancer in another location, in this case a metastasis of this other cancer.
Alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatitis are the main liver diseases that lead to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, so it is very important that proper follow-up is done with the hepatologist, where there is a risk of developing these diseases, in order to reduce the risk of cancer.
So if the person has
You may be at risk of developing liver disease and/or cancer, and it is recommended that you consult a hepatologist to assess your chances of having liver disease and begin appropriate treatment, if necessary.
The liver is a common place of metastasis, especially when there is a type of cancer of the digestive system, such as stomach, pancreas and colon, but also of breast or lung.
Often, the person may not have symptoms when he discovers that the cancer has already metastasized, other times nonspecific symptoms such as abdominal pain, general discomfort, weakness and weight loss for no apparent reason may be the only sign of cancer.
Find out what types of cancer can cause liver metastases
When a person develops symptoms such as abdominal swelling, intestinal bleeding, changes in mental state, yellowish eyes and skin, or unexpeaned weight loss, liver disease or even liver cancer is likely to occur.Sometimes symptoms are less specific, such as weakness and weight loss for no reason, but they may be the only sign of cancer.
Thus, when the person has this type of ailment, he should go to the hepatologist or the family doctor, who will make an appropriate assessment, with tests to try to understand the origin of the cancer and, from there, indicate the most correct treatment..
Treatment will depend on whether the cancer comes from the liver or if it is metastatic; if it’s metastasis, it will depend on the type of cancer that causes it; In the case of liver cancer, treatment can be curative, when it is small and you can remove it, or if you can do a liver transplant, but other times, when the cancer is more advanced and healing is not possible, treatment can only slow the growth of the cancer and thus prolong the life of the person more.