Jaundice is a clinical manifestation of hyperbilirubinemia in the body, which is an elevated concentration of bilirubin in the blood that causes yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, sclera, and other tissues and body fluids. Jaundice can be caused by both primary liver cancer and tumors. The types of jaundice caused by primary liver cancer are mainly classified as hepatocellular jaundice and obstructive jaundice.
Hepatocellular jaundice
Jaundice is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood due to impaired uptake, binding, and even excretion of bilirubin by damaged hepatocytes.
Usually associated with liver tumors, one can try to give liver-protective and anti-yellowing drugs while actively treating the primary disease. The progressive worsening of jaundice in the later stages is associated with progressive disease and is treated with symptomatic support.
Obstructive jaundice
Jaundice caused mainly by partial or complete mechanical obstruction of the extrahepatic or intrahepatic bile ducts and obstruction of bile drainage from the bile ducts into the intestine, resulting in biliary stasis and reflux of ester bilirubin into the blood.
It is recommended to check the biliary ultrasound or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to clarify the nature and location of the obstruction. If obstructive jaundice is diagnosed, biliary stenting or percutaneous hepatic percutaneous choledochotomy (PTCD) may be performed to relieve the biliary obstruction, as appropriate.