LIVER METASTASES – ASCITES
When the liver is damaged, fluid tends to collect in the abdominal cavity. This is called ascites. One reason is that cancer or scarring in the liver can partly block the blood and lymph vessels. In addition, the liver normally produces a blood protein called albumin. If the liver doesn’t keep the albumin in the blood up to normal levels, fluid leaks out of the blood into the tissues. This can cause swelling in the legs or lower back as well as fluid in the abdominal cavity. Ascites in a person with cancer does not always mean the liver has secondary deposits in it. Cancer cells growing in the lining of the abdominal cavity (the peritoneum) also causes fluid to collect, just like the fluid on the lung when the pleura is affected. Of course, problems other than cancer can cause ascites too.
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