Frequently Asked Questions

Liver cancer is diagnosed by performing following tests and procedures; It is not possible to diagnose hepatic cancer by doing normal blood tests. A specific blood test is done to find levels of alfa-fetoprotein in serum (AFP). Increased levels of AFP indicate presence of liver cancer. Sometimes the doctor may suggest imaging studies such as a CT or MRI scan. Liver biopsy is another method used to identify malignant or benign tumour. It is done is by removing tissue from liver and examining under the microscope, liver biopsy can be done along with CT scan. Another method to identify liver cancer is by doing laparoscopy, in this procedure the surgeon assesses the signs of hepatocellular carcinoma by inserting a flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip (laparoscope) by making a small incision in the abdomen.

Treatment of liver cancer depends upon various factors, it includes the extent of the liver cancer, patients age, health conditions and personal preferences. Surgery: In liver surgery, the liver cancer cells and small portion of healthy liver tissue is removed to promote liver health. Liver transplant surgery: In liver transplant surgery the diseased liver of patient is replaced by whole or partial healthy liver from another person. Heating cancer cells. This is a minimally invasive procedure; the cancerous cells are ablated by using heat generated from medium frequency electric current. Freezing cancer cells: liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the cancer cells with the help of a surgical instrument (cryoprobe) Alcohol injection: In this method alcohol is directly injected to the tumour to treat liver cancer. Injecting Chemotherapy drugs: Injecting chemotherapy drugs directly to the liver is known as chemoembolization, it can be done as stand-alone treatment or in combination with ablation or surgery.

As the name suggests, the organ for transplantation is obtained from a donor who is alive. Live donor or living donor transplant is possible only for Liver, Kidney and Bone Marrow Transplant.

When the organ for transplantation is obtained from a deceased or brain-dead donor, it is called cadaveric transplant.

Produces blood proteins that help your immune system function well, carry oxygen and enable clotting Stores and releases nutrients to your bloodstream Produces bile – the enzyme that helps help digest food Breaks down saturated fat and produces cholesterol out of it Stores glucose in the form of glycogen Keeps your body free from toxins.

When the liver is irreversibly damaged and loses its ability to carry out its normal functions, it is called liver failure. Acute Liver failure, wherein the liver fails to work all of a sudden, is usually caused as an after-effect of certain medication or infection. Chronic liver failure or complete damage of the liver is a life threatening condition that sets in gradually, over many years. The causes can be cirrhosis or cancer of the liver.

Liver cirrhosis is a slowly progressing disease in which scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, causing permanent and irreparable damage to the liver. The reasons for liver cirrhosis can be: Hepatitis B or C infection Alcoholic liver diseases Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (fat build-up in the liver cells) Genetic and auto immune disorders Congenital birth defects According to the National Institute of Health, liver cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death by disease in India .

Alcohol is a toxin that can cause irreversible damage to your liver. Every time you drink, your liver does its best to break down the alcohol and expel the toxins from your body. However, if the alcohol content is beyond what the liver can handle, it will gradually start losing its ability to function, which in turn leads to several complications.​

The three major liver diseases induced by alcohol are alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic Fatty Liver Excess alcohol consumption leads to accumulation of extra fat in your liver.
The first stage of alcohol-related liver disease, this condition usually goes unnoticed as there might be no symptoms at all. However, some patients do present symptoms like unexplained fatigue and weakness. The fat accumulation in the liver will mostly go away by itself if you stop drinking alcohol at this stage. Those who are overweight and have diabetes will need to be extremely careful, for the risk of permanent liver damage is way higher in them. Alcoholic Hepatitis This is a condition that causes the liver to swell, in turn damaging it. The symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis include loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and jaundice. It is estimated that one out of every three heavy drinkers develops alcoholic hepatitis.Alcoholic hepatitis can either be mild or severe. Mild liver damage can be reversed; all you need is to quit drinking. However, if one continues to consume alcohol despite having mild alcoholic hepatitis, the liver will slowly start becoming dysfunctional. According to reports, more than 50% of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis do not survive. Alcoholic Cirrhosis Alcoholic cirrhosis is permanent scarring of liver caused due to excess alcohol consumption. A life-threatening condition and the most serious alcohol-related disease, the liver fails to function normally as healthy liver tissue gets replaced with scar tissue. The damage caused to the liver is usually irreversible. Though stopping alcohol consumption may help prevent further damage, related complications are not curable. In addition to the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis the patient may develop severe bouts of jaundice, vomit blood, suffer from fluid accumulation in the abdomen and feet, get mentally disoriented or worse, slip into coma. Estimates say that almost 20% of heavy drinkersdevelop liver cirrhosis.

Heavy drinkers usually progress from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis to alcoholic cirrhosis over time. However, one may develop alcoholic cirrhosis without getting alcoholic hepatitis first. Besides, obesity, diabetes and chronic Hepatitis C infection increase the chance of liver diseases substantially.​