Liver cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the world that tragically affects thousands of people each year.
What is even more tragic is that this form of cancer has a very high rate of mortality, and can be classified as metastatic or primary.
Metastatic liver cancer is a form of the disease that spreads to the liver from another location in the body.
Primary liver cancer is a form of the disease that starts in the liver itself.
Even though liver cancer cannot always be attributed to one particular cause, some forms of this cancer have been linked to issues such as chronic infections, certain types of hepatitis, alcoholism, or other diseases.
Liver cancer forms when the cells of the liver experience a change and mutation to their DNA composition.
Because DNA is responsible for providing the body with instructions for various chemical processes, any change in DNA (such as a mutation) causes a change in these instructions.
This type of change can cause cells to grow at an uncontrollable rate, which could lead to a mass of cells, known as a tumor.
As was previously mentioned, there are two main forms of liver cancer: metastatic and primary.
Metastatic is a type of cancer that starts somewhere in the body, and moves to the liver, where primary cancer means the disease actually originated in the liver.
Primary liver cancer can be broken down a bit further depending on which of the cells of the liver are found to be cancerous.
The main types of primary liver cancer include: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): The most common form of primary liver cancer, it affects both adults and children.
This form of the disease originates in the main cells of the liver known as hepatocytes.
Hepatoblastoma: A less common form of liver cancer, it generally affects children under the age of four.
This form of cancer can be scary, but has a high success rate with proper treatment.
Cholangiocarcinoma: This form of liver cancer starts in the small, tube like bile ducts of the liver, and is sometimes referred to as cancer of the bile ducts.
Hemangiosarcoma or Angiosarcoma: These forms of cancers are also rare, and begin in the blood vessels of the liver.
Unfortunately, these forms grow and spread rapidly.
In the earliest stages, there are no symptoms that are considered to be significant associated with liver cancer.
As the disease continues to progress, the patient may notice certain pains and various symptoms, as well as sings of jaundice and ascites.
Ascites is a condition that develops when there is a buildup of fluid that results in swelling of the abdomen.
This can develop because of clogs of cancer cells that are disrupting the lymphatic system, which is in charge of draining excess amounts of fluid, or it may be because of cancer cells that are directly impacting the overall function of the liver itself.
Jaundice occurs when the liver is not able to function properly and cannot expel the toxins from the body.
Jaundice can be noticed when the skin and the whites of the eyes turn a yellow color, and the skin may also become extremely itchy.
The condition is also linked to dark urine and stools.
One of the most significant problems that liver cancer poses is that the symptoms associated with the disease are often confused with other conditions that are much less serious in nature.
This can lead to serious complications as a diagnosis may not be properly made, thus causing treatment to be delayed or not administered at all.
When this type of misdiagnosis is made, it is a form of medical negligence, and patients may be entitled to seek compensation for their damages.
In order to seek a proper diagnosis, a physician or cancer specialist, also known as an oncologist, should order a broad range of tests.
These tests should include an MRI, an abdominal CT scan, a biopsy of the liver, an ultrasound scan, and a laparoscopy.
Even though these tools can be extremely helpful in assisting with a diagnosis of liver cancer, they are subject to human interpretation.
This fact alone leaves a great amount of wiggle room for errors to be made.
If you or someone you know or love has been the victim of a misdiagnosis of liver cancer, you should not delay in seeking the advice of a personal injury attorney that specializes in medical malpractice and negligence.
You may have legal rights, and you may be able to file a claim to seek monetary compensation for your damages.
Because medical negligence claims can be somewhat complex and have a great amount of room for error, it is very important that you do not try to handle your case on your own.
Since personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, you pay nothing up front and you never have to worry about funding your claim as it progresses through the system.
To make these cases even more difficult, many states have different laws that govern how claims can be filed, as well as statutes of limitations.
Medical professionals also have very good teams of attorneys that are working hard on their side, and will do everything in their power to stop you from receiving compensation.
A personal injury attorney that specializes in medical negligence knows the ins and outs of these cases in great detail and can handle every aspect of your case from filing, right through to the end.
These professionals know what information is necessary to collect, and how to deal with the roadblocks that often crop up during litigation.
He or she will work to get you or your family the compensation that is needed for past, present, and future medical bills, as well as pain and suffering in some cases.
There is no need to let this type of incompetence slide, and there is no reason to suffer in silence.
Something can be done, and something should be done so that others do not suffer in the future.