10 types of people are at high risk of liver cancer

Liver cancer, as one of the most common malignant tumors, has an extremely high mortality rate, second only to gastric cancer. Due to its high malignancy and rapid progression, patients with liver cancer generally do not feel any discomfort in the early stages. Once symptoms appear and they seek medical treatment, it is often already in the middle or late stages. Therefore, it is difficult to treat and the efficacy is poor. The average survival time after onset is only 6 months. It is known as the "king of cancer." In my country, 110,000 people die from liver cancer every year, including 80,000 men and 30,000 women, accounting for 45% of the world's liver cancer deaths. Although liver cancer is so common, it has its own preferred group of people. There are ten types of people who should pay special attention to preventing liver cancer. With liver cancer being so prevalent, which groups of people need to pay special attention?

1. People with a family history of liver cancer

On the one hand, many hereditary diseases that damage the liver, such as pigmentation disease and glycogen storage disease, will develop into cirrhosis, and the incidence of liver cancer is also very high; on the other hand, it is believed that the familial clustering of liver cancer is mainly caused by the aggregation of hepatitis B virus. There is currently no evidence that liver cancer is hereditary.

2. Patients with post-hepatitis cirrhosis

More than 50% of patients with cirrhosis develop cancer, and most of them have recurrent symptoms, poor liver function improvement, and frequent complications such as ascites.

3. People living in areas with a high incidence of liver cancer

China's high-incidence areas for liver cancer are mainly in the southeast coast, such as Fusui and Longan in Guangxi, Xiamen and Tongan in Fujian, Qidong and Haimen in Jiangsu, Chongming and Nanhui in Shanghai, etc. On average, at least 30 people per 100,000 people die from liver cancer in these areas. In addition, the incidence rate of liver cancer is higher in coastal areas than in inland areas, and higher in the southeast and northeast than in the southwest and northwest regions.

4. Long-term alcoholism

Long-term alcoholism can significantly damage liver cells and lead to malnutrition, making the liver more susceptible to cirrhosis, which can develop into liver cancer. Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned dietary factors, hepatitis B, parasitic diseases in the liver (such as Clonorchis sinensis), and genetic susceptibility are also closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer. It should be pointed out here that when the above two factors come into play, liver cancer is more likely to occur, and exposure to hepatitis B and aflatoxin will cause the disease to develop faster. Alcohol poisoning can also cause alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis. In alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis, the decrease in Kupffer cells can increase the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

5. People living in difficult conditions

The occurrence of liver cancer has an occupational characteristic, with farmers having the highest incidence and mortality rates. Some people say that in China, liver cancer and stomach cancer are diseases caused by poverty, and that people with poor economic conditions are more likely to suffer from liver cancer, which makes sense to a certain extent.

6. Gene mutation

Mutagens and viruses in the environment stimulate the activation of liver cell division response pathways, causing point mutations and gene translocations in cells, which are possible factors that accelerate the proliferation of cancer cells.

7. Drinking water is unhealthy

Water is an important substance for maintaining the normal survival of human organisms. Water itself certainly does not cause tumors, but epidemiological surveys have shown that the degree of drinking water pollution is positively correlated with the incidence of liver cancer. This undoubtedly indicates the presence of carcinogens in the water source, and it may also be the combined effect of multiple carcinogens, such as humic acid, cyanobacteria toxins, etc.

8. Eating food contaminated by Aspergillus flavus

More than 30 years ago, a farm in the UK fed turkeys with peanut cake that was moldy due to Aspergillus flavus, causing 100,000 chicks to die quickly. Epidemiological studies have shown that the geographical distribution of liver cancer in my country is basically consistent with the distribution of aflatoxin contamination. In areas where grain, oil and food are seriously contaminated by aflatoxin B1, the incidence and mortality of liver cancer are also high. Aflatoxin is a carcinogen that grows and reproduces in hot and humid environments. If humans eat moldy grains for a long time in the summer, they will be infected with aflatoxin and liver cancer will occur.

9. Excessive intake of nitrosamine compounds

Dimethylnitrosamine has been isolated from the food of residents in South Africa, an area with a high incidence of liver cancer. Such compounds may also cause tumors in other places such as esophageal cancer. Therefore, nitrosamine compounds are also classified as one of the causes of liver cancer.

10. Intake of too little trace elements

Current research on the relationship between trace elements and liver cancer has found that the mortality rate from liver cancer is negatively correlated with the selenium content in the environment and with the blood selenium level of residents. Animal experiments have shown that selenium can block aflatoxin-induced liver cancer in rats and ducks.

If you are also a high-risk group for liver cancer, then you must pay attention to your daily living habits and try to stay away from this group. If you are unfortunately diagnosed with liver cancer, you must maintain a good attitude.