Probability of benign liver masses

Liver space-occupying tumors are quite common in life. This type of tumor is mainly divided into two types, one is a benign tumor and the other is a malignant tumor. When people hear that there is a tumor on the liver, they will be very scared. In fact, some benign tumors have relatively little impact on human health as long as the growth rate is not particularly fast. Of course, if it is a malignant tumor, the harm is relatively large. Let us learn about this aspect below.

Common benign liver space-occupying lesions.

1. Hepatic hemangioma: Hepatic hemangioma is mostly cavernous hemangioma, which is the most common benign solid tumor of the liver. It accounts for 80% of benign solid liver tumors and is more common in women aged 30-50 years old, with the male to female incidence ratio being approximately 1:6. Most of them are solitary, and cavernous hemangiomas grow slowly and have a long course. Most patients do not show obvious symptoms. As the tumor grows larger, they will experience abdominal pressure and pain. Occasionally, giant hemangiomas may rupture due to trauma, causing massive bleeding. Most hemangiomas that are small or asymptomatic do not require treatment. You can do B-ultrasound or CT monitoring every six months. If you find that the tumor is growing too fast or obvious discomfort symptoms appear, you can choose appropriate treatment based on your own condition. Such as: radiofrequency ablation, surgery, embolization, etc. Only 10% of patients with hemangiomas require treatment.

2. Liver cyst: Liver cyst is a common cystic tumor of the liver, which is divided into parasitic and non-parasitic liver cysts. Among parasitic infections, the most common is hydatid cyst of the liver. The most common liver cyst in clinical practice is non-parasitic liver cyst. It can be further divided into congenital, traumatic, inflammatory and tumorous cysts. What we call liver cysts clinically generally refers to congenital liver cysts. Most cases are solitary and more common in women, with a male to female ratio of approximately 1:4. It generally grows slowly and has a good prognosis. Small cysts (<100px) may not have any symptoms and generally do not require treatment. It is best to check 1-2 times a year. When the cyst diameter is >125px, abdominal pain, bloating, etc. may occur. If the cyst is too large, it may compress the bile duct and cause obstructive jaundice. For patients with symptoms and large cysts, surgery, anhydrous ethanol injection and other methods can be chosen for treatment.

Malignant space-occupying lesions that are not in good condition.

1. Primary liver cancer: We have introduced this a lot. It is one of the 10 most common tumors in the world. About half of the world’s liver cancer patients are in my country. It mainly includes three types: hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and mixed cancer, among which more than 90% of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma. It is more common in males, with the male-to-female incidence ratio being about 3:1. The peak age of incidence in my country is between 40 and 50 years old. The disease progresses rapidly, and early symptoms are usually not obvious. In the middle and late stages, symptoms such as liver pain, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, fatigue, weight loss, and fever may appear. Treatment methods include surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, liver transplantation, and other auxiliary treatments such as intervention, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and biological therapy.

2 Metastatic liver cancer: The liver is a common metastatic site of solid tumors. About one-third of tumors in the body can metastasize to the liver. The most common ones are digestive tract tumors such as rectal cancer and gastric cancer. Others include breast cancer, lung cancer, etc. The size and number of metastases vary. The course of the disease is relatively mild, and there may only be manifestations of the primary cancer. Symptoms may include non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, anorexia, and fever. Depending on the condition of the disease, treatments such as surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, interventional embolization, chemotherapy, etc. can be performed. Other malignant tumors include: fibrolamellar liver cancer, hepatoblastoma, hepatic sarcoma, etc. The incidence of these cases in clinical practice is not very high.

I have introduced so much just to give you an idea that liver mass is not synonymous with liver cancer. Don’t worry too much after getting the examination report. Just go to the hospital for a detailed examination, a clear diagnosis, and active treatment. Our center pioneered the laparoscopic liver cancer ablation, which can complete tumor ablation in high-risk areas, expand the surgical indications, and perform many ablations that other hospitals cannot perform, which has been well received by patients.