The preferred examination method for liver cancer screening

I believe many people have heard of liver cancer. Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor. If it is discovered early and removed, the cure rate is still relatively high. Therefore, for liver cancer, patients must make sure to get a timely diagnosis. The following is an introduction to common liver cancer examination items:

1. Ultrasound examination: B-ultrasound examination is economical and convenient, and can show the size, shape and location of the tumor, with a diagnostic accuracy rate of about 90%. The detection rate of liver lesions is also relatively high. Generally speaking, it takes about 4 to 6 months for liver cancer to grow from 1CM to 3CM at the fastest. Therefore, if liver cancer is not found in the first B-ultrasound liver cancer examination, it should be taken again after 4 to 6 months. The liver cancer should still be below 3CM, and the treatment effect should be good.

2. CT: CT is a very important method for liver cancer examination, and it is widely used in China. However, when the diameter of liver cancer is less than 2CM or the density is close to that of normal liver parenchyma, it is difficult to show it on CT. Liver cancer is diffuse and difficult to detect on CT, and it is difficult to distinguish between primary and secondary liver cancer.

3. PET-CT: PET-CT is one of the examination items for early detection of liver cancer. Patients with hepatitis B and other conditions may consider the examination. PET-CT is a functional molecular imaging system that integrates PET and CT. It can not only accurately locate the anatomical location of the lesion through CT morphological imaging, but also reflect the biochemical metabolic information of the liver's space-occupying tissue through PET functional imaging. At the same time, the whole body scan can understand the overall condition and evaluate the metastasis, so as to achieve the purpose of early detection of lesions. At the same time, it can understand the size and metabolic changes of the tumor before and after treatment.

4. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI is a rapidly developing examination method in recent years. In the past, MRI was not as ideal as CT examination. Now, with the continuous development of MRI technology, the scanning time is getting faster and faster, and the resolution is getting higher and higher. It can also make a relatively accurate judgment for some small lesions in the liver. Now MRI also plays a very important role in the examination of liver cancer.

5. Alpha-fetoprotein test: When ultrasound and/or CT scans are suspected of early liver cancer, an alpha-fetoprotein test is generally recommended for auxiliary diagnosis. Alpha-fetoprotein test is also one of the most common test methods to see if there are tumor markers. Alpha-fetoprotein has a certain sensitivity for the test, but we have also found in clinical practice that some patients may not have high alpha-fetoprotein levels. The alpha-fetoprotein level of liver cancer patients can be high, but patients with low alpha-fetoprotein levels cannot completely rule out the possibility of liver cancer.

Regular physical examinations are very important for various malignant tumors, especially for people with a high incidence of various malignant tumors. The same is true for liver cancer. Although the early symptoms of liver cancer are not obvious, it can be diagnosed through examination.