This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the subject of Midwife Degree Programs. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com .
Cancer is a deadly disease, but we do not realize how it can affect us unless one of our loved ones has been diagnosed with it. Liver cancer, which is the fifth most common cancer in the world, is of two types – one that originates in the liver and the other that spreads from other parts of the body. The first one is known as hepatocellular carcinoma. The second one, metastatic liver cancer is more common.
When someone is diagnosed with liver cancer, it’s an unbelievable shock; but what’s even harder to take is when the prognosis is not good. When doctors are not able to find out where your cancer is originating from, there’s very little hope of treating the disease successfully. Even the most intense chemotherapy works in curing the cancer only when you can identify the source of the cancerous growth.
An early diagnosis offers hope for both the patient and his/her family. At least you can prevent the spread of the growth and stop it from eating away your still healthy organs. If your oncologist can identify the origin of the cancer as the liver, then a transplant is a possibility, providing you are able to find a donor in time.
When cancer strikes, and if you’re able to trace it at an early stage, doctors remove the affected part to prevent it from spreading. The problem with liver cancer (one that originates at the liver) is that you cannot just remove the liver from the body without replacing it with a suitable alternative.
Depending on how advanced the cancer is, patients are offered the choice between aggressive and palliative treatment. While the former is an all-out effort to fight the cancer, the latter focuses on keeping the patient comfortable and free of pain till the end comes. Opting for chemotherapy is an expensive and painful procedure – the patient suffers the side effects of both the disease and the treatment. Loss of appetite, vomiting, tiredness and fatigue, hair loss and other symptoms take a toll on both the body and mind. Palliative care is equally painful; waiting to die knowing that you can do nothing to stop the impending end is a strain on both the patient and his/her family and loved ones.
Very often the patient withdraws into a depression and finds no incentive to go about his/her daily work even on the days they feel good. Family and friends must be there to offer support, but when you know someone you love is slowly dying, it’s hard to control your grief and put on a brave face day after day. Seeing a loved one in unbearable pain is extremely hard to take, knowing that there’s nothing you can do to help them except offer moral support.
Cancer has caused havoc in the lives of two people I love, and if I had one wish, I would pray that God prevented this deadly disease from attacking mankind.
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