What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Metastatic Colon Cancer to the Liver?

Cancer cells are very aggressive and can easily invade other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Metastatic cancer happens when the cancer cells spread from their original location to other parts of the body, according to the National Cancer Institute. There are many types of cancer that are easily spread to the liver, and colon cancer is one of them. However, if patients and doctors recognize the early signs and symptoms, the cancer can still be treated and cured.

Weight Issues

• According to research by the John Hopkins Institute, Merck and Medline Plus, weight loss is often an indicator that colon cancer has spread to the liver and developed metastases. Anorexia and nausea are also symptoms of this type of cancer development. The hardening or enlarging of the liver, which makes it painful to normally digest and process food, usually causes the loss of appetite.

Stool Issues

• According to research done by Merck, some early liver metastases may be asymptomatic. However, when a person finds blood in his stool, he may be seeing the signs of liver metastases. Another symptom is a significant change in the size of his stools, according to the John Hopkins Institute.

Fever and Fatigue

• Medline Plus, a service from the National Cancer Institute, advises that if a person with diagnosed colon cancer begins to experience high fevers, his cancer may have spread to his liver. Other signs and symptoms associated with this include night sweats or other unusual sweating patterns. Fatigue is an early sign of several different types of cancer, including colon and liver cancer.

Pain

• Many people experience pain in the abdomen area when colon cancer has spread to the liver. This type of pain usually occurs in the upper right part of the abdomen. An enlarged, tender or hard liver that has developed easily palpable nodules and massive heptomegaly typically causes it. Some people experience this type of pain first and then find the metastases after an X-ray or other tests.

Jaundice

• Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin, is another symptom of liver metastases, but it is usually mild unless the tumors cause biliary obstructions. Jaundice may also cause abdominal swelling. Research by the National Cancer Institute also found that sometimes a person's main or original colon cancer is not detected until it has spread to the liver and developed symptoms there.