What causes liver cancer? The 6 most likely causes of liver cancer

Liver cancer is a malignant tumor of the liver, which can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Do you know what causes liver cancer?

Liver cancer is highly malignant and is one of the most feared cancers. It is known as the king of cancers because it seriously threatens the lives of patients. The main characteristics of liver cancer are that it is aggressive and has a short course. So, what causes liver cancer to continue to threaten people's health?

The main causes of liver cancer

Causes of liver cancer 1. Alcoholism

Long-term alcoholism is prone to liver cancer. As the saying goes, drinking alcohol hurts the liver. Drinking alcohol is not the direct cause of liver cancer, but it acts like a catalyst, which can promote the occurrence and progression of liver cancer. This is also a common cause of liver cancer. Alcohol poisoning can cause alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis.

In alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis, the number of Kupffer cells decreases, which can increase the incidence of liver cancer. This is because after alcohol enters the human body, it is mainly decomposed and metabolized in the liver. The toxicity of alcohol to liver cells causes liver cells to have obstacles in the decomposition and metabolism of fatty acids, causing fat deposition in the liver and resulting in fatty liver. The more alcohol is consumed, the more severe the fatty liver becomes, which in turn causes liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. If hepatitis patients drink heavily, it will greatly accelerate and aggravate the formation and development of cirrhosis and promote the occurrence of liver cancer.

Causes of liver cancer 2. Viral hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is one of the more common causes of liver cancer. Areas where hepatitis B is prevalent are also high-incidence areas for liver cancer. People who have had hepatitis B are 10 times more likely to develop liver cancer than those who have not. Long-term clinical observations have found that hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer are a trilogy of continuous migration and evolution. Generally speaking, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are closely related to the cause of liver cancer. It is reported that in HBV-positive liver cancer patients, HBV genes can be seen integrated into the DNA of liver cancer cells, so HBV is considered an important factor in the development of liver cancer.

Causes of liver cancer 3. Diet-related factors

The occurrence of liver cancer is closely related to lifestyle habits. Long-term consumption of moldy food, food containing nitrosamines, and lack of trace element selenium are also important factors that promote liver cancer. Aflatoxin B1 is a substance that has been proven to have a clear carcinogenic effect. It is mainly found in moldy food, such as corn, peanuts, rice, etc.

In addition, foods with high nitrite content are mainly smoked or salted meat products, which have a clear carcinogenic effect. When people consume a large amount of food containing nitrite, and the nitrite accumulates in the body and cannot be discharged in time, it can be converted into nitrosamines in the body. At the same time, the occurrence of liver cancer is also related to genetic factors, parasitic infections and other factors.

Liver cancer causes 4. Cirrhosis

There is a close relationship between cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to statistics, it usually takes about 7 years for cirrhosis to develop into liver cancer. Therefore, this is one of the causes of liver cancer.

Liver cancer causes 5. Drugs

Certain drugs have a cumulative effect and can cause liver cancer.

Causes of liver cancer 6. Trace elements

Current studies on trace elements and the causes of liver cancer have found that liver cancer mortality is negatively correlated with selenium content in the environment and negatively correlated with residents' blood selenium levels. Animal experiments have shown that selenium can block aflatoxin-induced liver cancer in rats and ducks.

What should we pay attention to in preventing liver cancer?

1. Hepatitis B vaccine injection

The infection rate of hepatitis B virus in the Chinese population is as high as over 13%. Once infected with hepatitis B, there is currently no complete cure. Therefore, preventing hepatitis is one of the most important measures to prevent liver cancer. Hepatitis B virus is transmitted through body fluids (such as blood, secretions, etc.). In addition to paying attention to the hygiene of blood products and not sharing razors and toothbrushes with others, vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine is the simplest and most effective prevention method. Not only children need to be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine when they are born, but adults who have not been vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine and have not had hepatitis can also be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine.

2. Do not eat moldy food

Moldy foods often contain aflatoxin, which is also one of the important factors that promote liver cancer. Moldy foods, such as moldy corn, peanuts, melon seeds, etc., contain more aflatoxin and should not be eaten.

3. Good lifestyle

Reduce nitrosamine intake and quit smoking and drinking. Excessive drinking can easily lead to alcoholic hepatitis, reduce immune function, and damage the liver's detoxification function.

4. Regular inspection

If someone in the family has liver cancer or other types of tumors, other family members should pay special attention. In addition to the cancer prevention measures mentioned above (preventing hepatitis, not eating moldy food, etc.), you should also develop a good habit of regular physical examinations. Every 6 months, go to the hospital for an abdominal B-ultrasound examination + serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) examination. It is recommended that men over 40 years old or women over 50 years old, people who drink alcohol for a long time, and diabetic patients go to the hospital for a physical examination every year.