Are there many cases of liver cancer in my country? What are the safe and effective treatments for liver cancer?

Clinically, the detection rate of early liver cancer in my country is not high. Many patients are already in the middle or late stage when they are discovered, and the survival period of patients with late stage liver cancer is only 3 to 6 months. Therefore, regular physical examinations are very important. It is the simplest way to detect liver cancer early and can greatly improve the cure rate.

Statistics show that the mortality rate of liver cancer can be as high as 20 per 100,000, ranking second among all malignant tumor deaths in my country. What is even more worrying is that the incidence of liver cancer in my country is closely related to the infection rate of hepatitis B virus. In clinical practice, 85% to 90% of liver cancer cases are related to hepatitis B.

my country ranks first in the world in new cases of liver cancer

Liver cancer refers to malignant tumors that occur in the liver, including primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer. People usually refer to primary liver cancer. According to cell typing, primary liver cancer is divided into hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and mixed liver cancer. Clinically, hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for more than 80%, which is the type of liver cancer we are mainly talking about today.

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in clinical practice. At present, the incidence of liver cancer is on the rise worldwide. On February 3 this year, the World Health Organization published the "Global Cancer Report 2014", which showed that China ranked first in the world in terms of new cancer cases, among which the number of new cases and deaths from liver cancer ranked first in the world. At present, the incidence of liver cancer in my country is about 25.7/100,000, making it the third largest malignant tumor with a mortality rate second only to gastric cancer and lung cancer.

The high incidence age of liver cancer is after 40 years old. This is because the effects of carcinogenic factors need a process of accumulation, which can even last for decades. Therefore, liver cancer patients are mostly middle-aged and elderly people, and 50 to 60 years old is a high-risk age group. Male patients with liver cancer are significantly more than female patients. Generally speaking, the number of male liver cancer patients is 7 to 10 times that of female patients.

It is not obvious in the early stage, early detection is the key

The human liver is "hidden" behind the ribs, leaving a lot of room for tumor growth. Therefore, patients with early liver cancer often do not have typical symptoms, making it difficult to detect in time. When the tumor grows to a certain size, the disease has progressed to the middle and late stages, when the chance of surgical cure is often lost, and treatment becomes very difficult.

Clinically, the detection rate of early liver cancer in my country is not high. Many patients are already in the middle or late stage when they are discovered, and the survival period of patients with late stage liver cancer is only 3 to 6 months. Therefore, regular physical examinations are very important. It is the simplest way to detect liver cancer early and can greatly improve the cure rate.

It is recommended that healthy people over 40 years old have a routine physical examination every year; people at high risk of liver cancer with hepatitis B or C should preferably undergo alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) testing or B-ultrasound screening every six months; people who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis should also undergo AFp testing or B-ultrasound screening every six months. Once an abnormality is found in the physical examination, a further CT or MRI examination should be performed to clarify the condition. Japan is also a country with a high incidence of liver cancer, but its early liver cancer detection rate is much higher than that in my country. One of the reasons is that Japanese patients with cirrhosis go to the hospital for serum alpha-fetoprotein testing and B-ultrasound every 6 to 12 months on average, so that early detection and early treatment can be achieved.

Combination therapy can effectively control liver cancer

It is reported that the commonly used local treatment methods in the field of liver cancer treatment include surgical treatment and interventional treatment. The most commonly used interventional treatment is transarterial chemoembolization. "Chemotherapy" is to inject drugs directly into the tumor tissue to kill the tumor, and "embolization" is to cut off the blood supply of the tumor tissue to achieve the purpose of "starving" the tumor. Under the guidance of the imaging instrument, through a tiny incision in the skin, the catheter is guided to the tumor blood vessels through the artery, and then the therapeutic drugs are injected into the tumor blood vessels through the catheter, and then plugged with a "small plug" to block the tumor blood supply, which can quickly reduce the size of the tumor.

Studies have shown that the effect of a single treatment method is very limited, and combined treatment can effectively control the disease. Currently, the commonly used combined treatment method is to use the targeted drug sorafenib after surgery or interventional treatment. Surgery and interventional treatment can reduce local tumor burden, while systemic treatment with targeted drugs can control systemic disease progression and prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis through combined treatment.

Lesions smaller than 1 cm can be detected

"No matter which method is used, the earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the treatment effect will be. Therefore, we should focus on early diagnosis of liver cancer patients." Experts say that people with viral hepatitis are at high risk of liver cancer. B-ultrasound is the preferred method for physical examination, and CT and MRI examinations are performed if abnormalities are found.

It is understood that the latest liver-specific magnetic resonance contrast agent can detect tiny lesions less than 1 cm compared with traditional contrast agents. Its detection rate is higher than that of existing B-ultrasound, CT and magnetic resonance imaging, and can effectively increase the early detection rate of liver cancer patients in high-risk groups.

Dietary principles for patients with liver cancer

Liver cancer patients should eat small and frequent meals at regular times to reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. They should eat more foods containing vitamins A, C, and E, and more green vegetables and fruits. They should often eat foods that have anti-cancer effects, such as kale, cabbage, carrots, rapeseed, vegetable oil, fish, etc. They should also insist on eating low-fat, high-protein, easily digestible foods, such as lean meat, eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit juice, and fresh vegetable juice.

Food should be fresh, and moldy and spoiled food should not be eaten. To maintain smooth bowel movements, constipation patients should eat more fiber-rich foods and drink some honey every day. The main foods should include milk, eggs, soy milk, lotus root powder, fruit juice, vegetable juice, lean meat paste, liver paste, etc.