Liver-Screening Program

Your Health Is Important To Us

Del Sol offers the only fully integrated leading-edge liver-treatment program in El Paso. You no longer need to travel out of town to receive quality care. Our expert multidisciplinary team is here to design a personalized treatment option for you.

You should enter the Del Sol Liver-screening Program if:

• Your physician recommends it
• Your liver-function tests are abnormal because of medication or alcohol
• You have other risk factors for developing cancer

Put your trust in our team of medical, surgical and radiation oncologists; specialized pathologists; and specially trained support staff, all of whom are dedicated to your case.

Detect Liver Cancer Even Before Symptoms Develop

Tumors are difficult to find during physical exams. The signs and symptoms of liver disease or cancer usually appear late, when the disease is already advanced. Liver-screening exams can help find cancer at its earliest stage, when the chances for survival are best.

At Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare, we use a proactive approach for people with a moderate-to-high risk of liver cancer.

We screen the liver every six months using ultrasound and an alpha-fetoprotein L3 (AFP l3), the most sensitive test available to detect liver cancer. If abnormalities are found, we follow up with a CT, CAT or MRI scan.

Know The Signs

• Jaundice (yellowness of skin)
• Hepatomegaly (enlarged liver)
• Ascites (excess fluid build between the abdomen and organs)
• Spider nevi (a collection of small dilated blood vessels clustered very close to the surface of the skin)
• Peripheral edema (swelling of the arms or legs)
• Anemia (low red blood cells)
• Periumbilical collateral veins
• Flapping tremor (tremor of the hand when the wrist is extended)

Know The Symptoms

• Pruritus (itching)
• Splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen)
• Bleeding esophageal varices
• Weight loss
• Jaundice
• Confusion (hepatic encephalopathy)
• Abdominal distension due to ascites (excess fluid build between the abdomen and organs)
• Abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant

Know The Risks

Anything that increases your chance of getting liver cancer is a risk factor, such as:

• A history of hepatitis B or C viral infection
• Cirrhosis, which can be caused by:
  • Certain drugs
  • Chemicals
  • Viruses
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Hemochromatosis (too much iron in the liver)
  • Other rare conditions
• Aflatoxins — Fungus that can contaminate peanuts, wheat, soybeans, corn and rice with carcinogenic toxins
• Age — People more than 60 years old are most at
• Race/Ethnicity — El Paso has a high rate of hepatitis
• Rare causes, such as:
  • Exposure to vinyl chloride and thorium dioxide (from working in PVC factories or uranium production)
  • Anabolic steroid use
  • Arsenic in well water

Your Treatment Options

• Image-guided biopsy with expert pathological examination
• New forms of chemotherapy — Sorafenib, for example, targets the blood vessels that keep tumors alive
• Chemoembolization
• Hepatic artery infusion to deliver chemotherapy directly to the liver
• Radio-embolization
• Microwave ablation
• Nanoknife (irreversible electroporation)
• Target therapies to help your body fight liver cancer
• Surgical resection of the liver (in select cases)
• Liver transplant (in select cases)

Your Plan Of Care Includes:

1. Gastrointestinal Hepatologist
2. Interventional Radiologist
3. Surgical Oncologist
4. Radiation Oncologist
5. Oncologist
6. Pathologist

Patient conference available.

Monday–Friday
10:00am–5:00pm
(915) 263-5165

Del Sol Medical Center
10301 Gateway West
El Paso, Texas 79912

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