Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma develop ascites due to the severe decline in liver function and the great increase in portal pressure. The occurrence of ascites in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma greatly reduces the quality of life and shortens the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Late stage liver cancer starting from the development of ascites is often accompanied by the development of multiple complications, such as ion disorders, hypoproteinemia, infection, bleeding, hepatorenal syndrome or hepatic encephalopathy. At the same time, pain often appears, developing from pain in the liver area and local pain to neuropathic pain. Generalized wasting, persistent low fever, poor appetite, difficulty in eating, abdominal distension, abdominal bulging, jaundice, progressive hepatomegaly, etc., and finally cancer fatigue and drowsiness, which eventually lead to death. Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma show signs of easy pain, irritability and restlessness. Anxiety, depression and fear of death will also appear. The implementation of humanistic care and timely care for patients with advanced liver cancer can to some extent alleviate the degree of pain, reduce the occurrence of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, and in this way improve the quality of sleep and improve the mental state of patients.