What should be paid attention to when diagnosing liver cancer? 4 things to pay attention to when diagnosing liver cancer

However, when most patients with advanced liver cancer find themselves feeling unwell, they self-diagnose and buy the right medicine for their condition. This not only fails to effectively treat liver cancer, but these medicines bring other problems to the body. Some liver cancer patients go to some informal clinics or hospitals for misdiagnosis, which delays their condition and sometimes causes death. Therefore, we should not only choose a regular hospital for diagnosis, but also understand the precautions for diagnosis. Next, let’s explain: What should we pay attention to when diagnosing liver cancer?

1. Liver cancer markers and laboratory tests:

1. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) and its isoforms;

2. Various serum enzymes, such as GGT and its isoenzymes, ALD-A, AFU, AAT, ALp-Ⅰ, 5'-NpD-V, pyK, GST, etc.;

3. Other markers such as DCp, ferritin and acid ferritin. However, so far, none of the various liver cancer markers has surpassed AFp, especially for early diagnosis, AFp has been verified for about 20 years. However, since 30% to 40% of liver cancer patients in my country are AFp negative, other markers still have their application value for AFp negative liver cancer.

2. Imaging diagnostic technology: Ultrasonography (US): The most commonly used and effective method for liver cancer diagnosis. It is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, reusable, has no radioactive damage, and is highly sensitive. However, there are blind spots that are difficult to detect, which are affected by other liver disease backgrounds, as well as the operator's anatomical knowledge, and whether the examination and operation are meticulous.

3. Laparoscopy and liver puncture: Laparoscopy has been used for many years to diagnose liver cancer. In recent years, due to the progress of tumor markers and imaging technology, laparoscopy has become less used. However, it still has certain value for patients with unclear diagnosis, especially those with a low possibility of liver cancer.

4. Diagnosis of subclinical liver cancer and small liver cancer: The diagnosis of subclinical liver cancer (i.e., asymptomatic liver cancer) and small liver cancer (less than 5 cm in diameter) mainly relies on the combined analysis of AFp and positioning diagnosis such as ultrasound imaging.

After understanding the precautions for liver cancer diagnosis, patients are reminded that they must choose a regular hospital for liver cancer diagnosis, so as to avoid taking detours and wasting money. More importantly, they are afraid of delaying the disease.