How to identify first-stage liver cancer and effective disease treatment

1. What is liver cancer?

Primary liver cancer is a disease that occurs when the liver's cells become abnormal, affecting the liver's function, and can spread to other organs outside the liver. This malignancy consists of 3 main types: HCC (which develops from liver cells, most commonly), biliary carcinoma (which develops from the biliary tract in the liver) and ameloblastoma. liver (Hepatoblastoma).

Secondary liver cancer is a disease in which a tumor occurs in the liver, but it comes from other parts of the body such as in the stomach, gallbladder, macula, pancreas, breast, lung. 

Liver cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world

Liver cancer prevents the liver from performing the following functions: bile production, bilirubin absorption and metabolism, support for blood clotting, carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism, protein metabolism, blood filtration, production albumin, vitamin and mineral storage which leads to harmful and serious effects on the body.

2. Identify liver cancer in the early stage

Symptoms of early stage liver cancer are often difficult to recognize. Doctors recommend that people pay attention to the following warning signs of liver cancer:

• Fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

• Chills, sweating a lot.

• Rapidly full or bloating after eating.

• Frequent high fever.

• Darkened facial skin (due to impaired liver's melanin metabolism).

• Pain in the upper right abdomen.

In a later stage, liver cancer manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• The pain in my lower right rib increased.

• The liver is enlarged or has a tumor, the patient can feel it.

• Bloating (due to accumulation of fluid in the abdomen).

• Always a feeling of itchy skin (due to increased amount of bilirubin in the blood).

• Jaundice, mucous membranes and eye conjunctiva are also yellow.

• Light-colored stools, dark urine.

• Abnormal bleeding (bleeding gums from the teeth, bleeding under the skin).

• Sudden, unexplained weight loss.

Jaundice is the most obvious manifestation of liver disease and liver cancer 

3. Causes of liver cancer

Currently, science has not clearly determined the cause of liver cancer. However, a number of factors have been shown to increase the risk of developing the disease:

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a liver that forms many scar tissues caused by many forms of liver disease (hepatitis, fatty liver and chronic alcoholism). As the scar tissue develops, the liver tries to heal itself by making new cells. The more new cells are created, the greater the risk of mutations, creating tumors, causing the liver to gradually lose its function.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C

Viral hepatitis is an acute or chronic infection of liver cells that is caused by infection with the liver. Currently, there are 6 types of hepatitis virus called hepatitis A virus, B, C, D, E, G. In Vietnam, hepatitis B and C are most interesting because they can cause cirrhosis and cancer. liver letter.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 70% of deaths from hepatitis B are due to advanced liver cancer. For every 100 people infected with hepatitis C virus, 1 to 5 will die from cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Most patients with hepatitis B and C have no symptoms in the first place, with the liver being damaged for many years. Until the disease turns to cirrhosis stage, liver cancer, the patient has clear symptoms.

Wine

When alcohol enters the body, only 10% of the alcohol is excreted through the urine, sweat and breath, and the remaining 90% goes straight to the liver. Liver cells perform the function of processing and detoxifying alcohol from beer and alcohol. If the amount of alcohol is excess, the liver cells are overactive, the alcohol in beer, the alcohol turns into acetaldehyde - a very toxic substance that destroys liver cells, leading to liver cancer.

Other factors

- Gender: Due to the habit of drinking alcohol, smoking a lot, working stressful, men are more likely to develop liver cancer than women.

Genetics: People with a family history of liver cancer (same bloodline) also have a higher risk of liver cancer.

- Dirty food: Food that is not well preserved is easy to produce mold and mildew. Some fungi can produce Aflatoxin - a powerful carcinogen in the human body.

- Environmental pollution: Exposure to many toxic chemicals from herbicides, pesticides, toxic wastes from industrial plants. 

4. Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis of liver cancer is based on:

• Examination through clinical manifestations.

• Imaging diagnosis: ultrasound (detects tumor> 1cm, detects cirrhosis, increases portal vein pressure), CT-Scan, MRI magnetic resonance imaging helps to observe the tumor more clearly, more accurate assessment of liver damage.

• Biochemical markers: a-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP-L3, DCP or PIVKA II

Liver cancer treatment is very difficult. If the treatment is not timely or treated in the wrong direction, mutant cells in the liver have grown and spread to other parts of the body (called metastatic liver cancer). Tumors can spread to nearby lymph nodes, lungs, or bones.

The later discovered, the lower the patient's lifetime of more than 5 years, namely:

• Liver cancer stage 1: The tumor is still localized in the liver, the treatment is not too complicated, the chance of living over 5 years is about 31%.

• Stage 2 cancer: The tumor invades the blood vessels, has spread to many tissues in the liver, the chance of living over 5 years is about 19%.

• Stage 3 cancer: The chance of living over 5 years is about 11%.

• End-stage liver cancer: Life time over 5 years is only 3%.

Depending on the progression of the size, location and number of tumors, as well as age and general health conditions, the doctor will prescribe appropriate treatments:

• Small tumors: surgery to remove the tumor, liver resection, liver transplant.

• Large tumor size: burning liver tumor by high frequency wave, microwave, alcohol injection, petrochemical node, chemical circuit node, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biological target therapy.

• Large, invasive metastatic tumors: applying embolism or radiotherapy in selective. 

Liệu pháp tâm lý rất quan trọng với người đang trong quá trình điều trị ung thư gan

5. Prevention of liver cancer

Hepatitis B vaccination: Until now, there is no specific drug for hepatitis B. Getting a hepatitis B vaccine within the first 24 hours of life is the best way to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. . In adults, all subjects who have not yet been infected with the hepatitis B virus should be vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent hepatitis B.

Risk control for hepatitis C: Hepatitis C is currently not vaccinated. Everyone needs to increase their sense of self-protection from infection by avoiding the pathways of disease transmission, periodic health checks and screening.

Diet: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (green leafy vegetables, carrots, potatoes and citrus fruits), use dairy products, drink tea (especially fresh tea leaves), no choose moldy foods (especially soybeans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, peanut oil), say "no" to foods with high salt content, limit protein-rich foods, and minimize alcohol.

Maintain healthy living habits: Pay attention to rest appropriately, exercise outdoors with appropriate intensity, know how to control emotions, always keep optimistic.

6. Screening early for the best treatment

Symptoms of liver cancer are usually not clear, so if there are abnormal symptoms, you should proactively seek them timely. Screening for liver diseases periodically is one of the ways to detect disease early, even when there are no symptoms.

It is not difficult to detect liver cancer early if the disease is screened every 6 months / year

In CarePlus, the liver screening package is clearly designed with the following items:

• Specialists and comprehensively examine the medical history.. A team of qualified doctors working in the Department of Hepatology - Gastroenterology in many major hospitals.

• Diagnostic imaging with modern ultrasonic equipment.

• General test, analysis of peripheral blood cells, liver function test, screening for hepatitis B and C, and for markers of liver cancer AFP. The laboratory is clean, sterile, and medical professionals strictly follow the regulations before doing the test.

People should understand the dangers of liver cancer and have a plan for periodic screening to detect the disease early, have a high chance of cure, and prolong life.

Find out about the Liver Screening Package at CarePlus or contact Hotline: 1800 6116 for specific advice.