Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/c19.dxr/00067_Field_SRC.c19.A.7.txt

Text File | 1997-01-28 | 1KB | 20 lines

• The serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is elevated in 50 to 70 percent of people in the U.S. with primary liver
  cancer. It may also be elevated in people with germ cell cancer, gastric cancer or cirrhosis of the liver or in
  pregnant women.

Imaging
• Abdominal ultrasound can evaluate the density of the liver if there is a suspicion of a mass. It can reveal the
  presence of fluid in the abdomen and is particularly useful for distinguishing a solid mass from a non-cancerous
  accumulation of fluid within the liver (benign cyst).
• A CT scan is useful for determining the extent of a tumor within the liver and evaluating the possible extension
  of tumorous tissue into lymph nodes or to other structures within the abdomen.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be helpful in determining if the liver cancer can be surgically removed
  by revealing whether the tumor involves both lobes of the liver or is invading blood vessels. Usually, MRI is
  not necessary because the CT scan provides essentially the same information.
• An x-ray involving the injection of dye into the artery going to the liver (arteriography) is necessary before any
  attempts are made to remove the tumor, since the surgeon needs to know exactly what the blood supply of the
  tumor is in order to remove it.
• If surgery is being considered, a chest x-ray should be done. If the cancer has spread to the lungs or any other
  organ, surgery should be reconsidered.