Liver Cancer

Diagnosis

When Mayo Clinic hepatologists suspect liver cancer, they confirm the diagnosis with the latest studies and procedures, including.

• Blood tests measure the efficiency of liver and other organ functions. They can also determine the presence or absence of chemicals called cancer markers, which can help diagnose cancer and help physicians monitor the disease process.
• Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the abdomen that identify a tumor. A technician places a wandlike device (transducer) on the surface of the abdomen and monitors the image on a screen. Surgeons may also use ultrasound during surgery to help locate areas of cancerous tissue in the liver. Intraoperative ultrasound is also used as part of radiofrequency ablation, a technique that uses heat to destroy tumors.
• Computed tomography. (CT) scans generate cross-sectional images of the body that can show whether cancer has invaded tissues or organs. Mayo Clinic's CT scanners use spiral CT technology (an X-ray tube revolves around the patient); several CT scanners use multi-detector row spiral technology. Spiral CT scans produce high-resolution two-dimensional images; multi-detector row spiral CT scans can create high-resolution three-dimensional images.
• Magnetic resonance imaging. (MRI) technology uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the liver and tumor.
• Fine-needle aspiration. A doctor administers a local anesthetic before gently guiding a small needle through the skin and abdomen into the liver to draw out cells that a pathologist can view under a microscope. The radiologist can use ultrasound or CT scans to help locate the tumor.
• Angiography. The physician inserts a catheter into an artery in the groin and moves it through the abdomen's circulatory system into the small artery that supplies the liver. A contrast dye injected into the blood vessels leading to the liver facilitates blood vessel imaging in and around the liver.
• Laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is performed in an operating room while the patient is under general anesthesia. A surgeon guides a small camera through a half-inch incision in the abdomen and looks inside the abdomen to determine whether the tumor has spread outside the liver to other organs or abdominal structures.