The best way to diagnose small liver cancer

Qualitative diagnosis first determines whether it is a small liver cancer. Do you test for HBV (hepatitis B virus) or HCV (hepatitis C virus)? If the test result is positive, you should consider whether there is a small liver cancer. If the AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) test shows >500ng/ml for more than one month and other diseases are excluded, it may be subclinical liver cancer.

When AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) is less than 20ng/ml, the following examinations should be performed to assist ultrasound and tumor markers.

After determining that it is a small liver cancer, localization diagnosis can determine its location, which can facilitate better resection and treatment.

Ultrasound can detect tumors larger than 1.5-2 cm

Abdominal or hepatic arterial angiography can identify tumors of 1-2 cm or even 0.5 cm, but it is contraindicated for patients with liver and kidney damage and iodine allergy.

Other methods include CT and MRI, which are the means of diagnosing small liver cancer. Most small liver cancers have no obvious clinical symptoms and signs and are often found during health examinations or regular follow-up of hepatitis B patients. Their surgical resection rate and 5-year survival rate after surgery are significantly higher than those of liver cancer patients with a diameter of >3cm. However, about 10% of small liver cancers still have aneuploid DNA content and show invasive growth, break through the capsule, form satellite nodules and tumor thrombi, and other malignant biological behaviors similar to large liver cancer.