Is liver cancer hereditary? You need to know these key liver cancer disease knowledge

Two elders in my family died of liver cancer (including my father). I am worried that I will get liver cancer too. Is liver cancer hereditary?

Strictly speaking, liver cancer is not hereditary, but it tends to cluster in families. That is to say, for families where several people develop liver cancer at the same time or one after another, perhaps common living conditions, such as common exposure to certain carcinogenic factors, are much more important than genetic factors, and other family members should be alert to the occurrence of liver cancer.

Why does liver cancer tend to cluster in families? Currently, there are two main reasons:

1. Transmission of hepatitis B virus among family members

Most of the hepatitis B patients in my country are transmitted vertically (from mother to child) or through contact among family members. The hepatitis B virus DNA is integrated into liver cells at multiple sites. Liver cells are attacked and damaged by the virus for a long time. Oncogenes may be activated, destroying the genetic stability of the cells.

Liver cancer usually goes through a "three-step" evolution process of hepatitis-cirrhosis-liver cancer, which reflects the characteristics of the development of hepatitis. However, not all hepatitis patients will develop according to the "three-step" model. The vast majority of hepatitis patients will stabilize at the stage of virus carrier or persistent hepatitis. Only a few patients will turn to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The factors of the transformation depend on human immune dysfunction, genetic genes (activation of liver cancer promoters) and viral gene subtypes and mutations.

2. Similar eating habits and lifestyles

The eating habits and lifestyles of the same family are basically the same, and the chances of being exposed to carcinogenic factors are basically the same. Therefore, it is easy for multiple liver cancer patients to appear in one family.