Why can't liver cancer be detected in its early stages?

The early symptoms of liver cancer are usually hidden, and conventional screening methods may not be able to clearly detect the lesions.

The liver is a "silent organ" of the human body, with powerful functions and strong compensatory ability. Even if there are lesions, it may not show obvious discomfort or symptoms in the early stage. At the same time, the early liver cancer tumors are small in size and difficult to highlight specific signs, resulting in routine examinations such as liver function and some imaging examinations unable to detect lesions in time, which is also an important reason why it is difficult to detect in the early stage.

In screening, commonly used liver function tests cannot directly reflect the cancer status, because the liver's compensatory ability can mask early functional abnormalities. Although alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a commonly used liver cancer marker, the sensitivity and specificity of this indicator are not high, and some patients may not show obvious AFP elevations in the early stages. Ultrasound examinations have limited sensitivity for tiny lesions, and CT or MRI may not be detected until the tumor has developed to a certain extent.

In order to better prevent and detect liver cancer, it is recommended to regularly undergo high-quality imaging examinations (such as enhanced CT or MRI) and blood marker tests, especially for high-risk groups such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C carriers, long-term alcoholics or patients with fatty liver. These people need to undergo relevant examinations every 6 months. When they experience unexplained symptoms such as abdominal distension, fatigue, and weight loss, they should seek medical attention and receive further evaluation in a timely manner to prevent early lesions of liver cancer from being ignored.