How to treat abdominal bleeding due to broken liver cancer

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Thang - Gastroenterologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. The doctor has 17 years of experience in the field of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary surgery.
Abdominal bleeding has many causes. In particular, abdominal bleeding due to ruptured liver cancer is very dangerous and can lead to death if not treated promptly.

1. Why does liver cancer cause abdominal bleeding?

Liver cancer can cause abdominal bleeding in the following cases:
1.1 Esophageal varices The invasive tumor blocks the portal vein, causing blood to travel through the esophageal vein to reach the liver, thereby causing increased pressure on the esophageal veins, leading to varicose veins. To some extent, varicose veins rupture and cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
1.2 Liver cancer spontaneously ruptures Liver cancer is a tumor with a lot of blood vessels, although rare, when the blood flow to the liver is large, it can cause the cancer to rupture on its own and cause abdominal bleeding.
1.3 Hepatic Venous Obstruction The invasive tumor blocks the hepatic vein, preventing blood from leaving the liver to enter the inferior vena cava, leading to congestion in the liver.

2. Signs of abdominal bleeding due to broken liver cancer

Abdominal bleeding due to ruptured liver cancer is difficult to recognize because there are no specific signs, even patients do not know they have liver cancer until the cancer bursts causing intra-abdominal bleeding with symptoms. Symptoms such as:
Severe abdominal pain, especially in the epigastrium Dizziness, dizziness, lightheadedness, pale skin (due to a lot of blood loss). Low blood pressure, fast pulse.

3. How to treat abdominal bleeding caused by broken liver cancer

Because there are no early signs, most patients with abdominal bleeding because of ruptured liver cancer have to be hospitalized for emergency care. At this time, the patient faces a high risk of death due to a lot of blood loss, leading to hemorrhagic shock.
To manage the pathology of intra-abdominal bleeding due to ruptured liver cancer, imaging techniques and hepatic embolization are indicated. With a digital angiogram that erases the background, doctors will insert a very small interventional device into the blood vessel, helping to block the broken blood vessel to stop bleeding immediately, thereby limiting the risk of death. and help save lives.
Angiography by digitizing background eraser is a modern technique applied in the treatment of some cancers such as software blood cancer, blood cancer in the maxillofacial region, liver cancer, ... thanks to its advantages the following points:
Small incisions, leaving no scars. Less painful. Reduced hospital stay, faster recovery time. Few complications. The patient survival rate is high. This technique is indicated for cancer patients in the following cases:
There is no indication for surgical intervention. Perform pre-surgery to limit complications.

4. Recognizing signs of liver cancer to prevent abdominal bleeding

Abdominal bleeding from ruptured liver cancer is the leading cause of death in liver cancer patients. Therefore, patients need to recognize the signs of liver cancer for timely treatment, thereby helping to limit bleeding complications due to tumor rupture.
Signs to recognize liver cancer include:
4.1 Jaundice Jaundice is one of the first manifestations of liver cancer, indicating impaired liver function, increasing bilirubin levels in the body.
4.2 Urine is dark yellow or brown in liver function impaired which causes accumulation of bilirubin in the body. Bilirubin is eliminated in the urine. Urine that contains a lot of bilirubin will be dark yellow or brown in color.
4.3 Fatigue, vomiting, nausea, unexplained weight loss These are early warning signs of liver cancer. When liver function declines, it will affect the body's metabolism, especially digestive problems, or nausea and vomiting will lead to weight loss.
4.4 Abdominal pain Liver tumors enlarge the liver, or may invade other organs in the abdomen and cause pain.
4.5 Itching Poor liver function causing high levels of bilirubin in the blood is the cause of itchy skin in patients with liver cancer.
Abdominal bleeding due to ruptured liver cancer is a dangerous complication that can lead to death. Liver angiography and embolization is a modern technique applied to treat this case, allowing to save the patient's life.

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