Red spots on the palm of the hand could be sign of liver cancer, a Taichung-based doctor said on Thursday.
Liver cancer is rarely detected in the early stages, when medical intervention is most likely to succeed, said Chen Cheng-kuo (陳政國), a gastroenterologist at Asia University Hospital.
This is because the liver lacks pain receptors, making it necessary to look for other symptoms to detect the disease, he said.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
Symptoms include “liver palms,” which refers to red patches or spots at the base of the thumb, spidery lines of inflamed capillaries that radiate from blemishes on the chest or in the extremities, and jaundice, he said.
Varicose veins on the abdomen, and swelling in the hands and feet are also signs of liver disease, including cancer, Chen said.
Citing an example, he said a 64-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) was recently brought to the hospital by her daughter who suspected her mother might have cancer after seeing red spots on Chao’s palms.
Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging scans detected a liver tumor, which was surgically removed, he said, adding that the woman is now in recovery.
People with hepatitis B or C should regularly undergo checkups, as the disease is closely related to cirrhosis and liver cancer, Chen said.
A 1cm liver tumor can triple its size in four to six months and metastasize in a year, he said.
This means people with hepatitis B or C should undergo a checkup every four to six months, he added.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
RSS