Physical examination is the most effective way to detect early liver cancer

Liver cancer is one of the easier cancers to diagnose. Early examinations can detect asymptomatic liver cancer. Among people with hepatitis and cirrhosis, many people feel that they are in good health and do not need physical examinations, and ignore physical examinations, which are the most effective way to detect early liver cancer. Among liver cancer patients, less than 15% are detected in the early stage. By the time they experience symptoms such as pain in the liver area, loss of appetite, fatigue, and weight loss, the disease is usually in the late stage.

The clinical diagnosis of large liver cancer is mainly based on the patient's hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection and different degrees of liver cirrhosis. A preliminary diagnosis can be made by combining imaging characteristics and alpha-fetoprotein determination. Usually, pathological biopsy is rarely used for confirmation. After the imaging examination color Doppler ultrasound finds a substantial space-occupying liver, CT or MRI examination can be performed. Generally, enhancement is required for diagnosis. It can be used to distinguish other space-occupying lesions, understand whether there is vascular invasion and the relationship with important blood vessels, and provide a reference for the next step of treatment selection. Alpha-fetoprotein determination is only helpful for diagnosis, not the main means of diagnosis. After all, some patients are negative, and even if they are positive, not all are liver cancer.