Tests That Help Evaluate Liver Cancer

Once your doctor knows you have liver cancer, you may need other tests to see how the cancer has spread, which is its stage. You may need one or more of these tests.

•   Angiography. This X-ray helps show the blood vessels supplying blood to a liver tumor. This information helps the surgeon decide whether a tumor can be removed. Dye is injected into the liver artery. The dye outlines the blood vessels and shows any unusual change to blood vessels caused by a tumor. Advanced MRIs a nd CT scans can also show these blood vessels.

Laparoscopes

• Laparoscopy. This test helps the doctor tell if a tumor exists on the surface of the liver and whether it has spread. Laparoscopy is a procedure that uses a thin, lighted tube called a laparoscope. The doctor inserts this tube into your body through a small incision in your abdomen to see the liver and other organs. The laparoscope gives the doctor a good view of all your internal organs.

• IOU (intraoperative ultrasound). This test helps show tumors deep inside the liver. An IOU is an ultrasound done at the time of surgery or laparoscopy. 

Blood Tests

Your doctor may also take some samples of your blood for testing.

• Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood test. This test checks the AFP level in your blood. AFP levels are higher in people with certain types of liver cancer. Comparing your AFP levels before and after treatment can show whether the cancer is gone or is starting to come back. Certain rare cancers of the ovaries and testicles can also give a person a high level of AFP.

• Liver function tests. These tests check liver function. If the tests show that your liver is not functioning correctly, your doctor may do other tests to see whether you have cancer. These other tests are also helpful in seeing how well the part of the liver without the cancer is working.