What are the causes of liver cancer? The occurrence of liver cancer is related to these factors

Liver cancer is highly correlated with chronic hepatitis. If chronic hepatitis (especially hepatitis B and hepatitis C) is not treated promptly and in a standardized manner, 15%-40% may develop into cirrhosis or even liver cancer in the next 20-30 years. There are 93 million hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers and 30 million chronic hepatitis B patients in my country. 30% of chronic hepatitis B patients worldwide have developed liver cancer before entering the cirrhosis stage, and the incidence of liver cancer in my country accounts for more than half of the total incidence of liver cancer in the world.

Chronic hepatitis C patients 25 times more likely to have liver cancer

There are about 10 million hepatitis C patients in my country. Hepatitis C has hidden symptoms and is known as the "silent killer." Most patients have no symptoms after being infected with the virus. Among hepatitis C virus carriers, 30% have normal liver function tests; some patients only have elevated transaminases, which are mistakenly believed to be caused by fatigue, drinking, etc. Some patients even develop cirrhosis or liver cancer before they are found to be infected with the hepatitis C virus. Chronic hepatitis C patients have a 25 times higher chance of developing liver cancer than non-hepatitis C liver disease patients. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. In order to prevent liver cancer, the following high-risk groups for hepatitis C virus infection should go to the hospital for screening in time:

1. People who received blood transfusion and organ transplant before 1992; 2. People who maintained hemodialysis; 3. People who shared syringes; 4. People who came into contact with dental instruments, endoscopic examinations, invasive procedures and acupuncture that were not strictly sterilized; 5. People who injected drugs intravenously; 6. People infected with HIV; 7. Babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis C virus; 8. People who came into contact with hepatitis C virus positive blood; 9. People who engaged in unsafe sexual behavior; 10. People who used instruments that were not strictly sterilized for tattooing, acupuncture, ear piercing, etc.

What are the causes of liver cancer?

Liver cancer is the result of the synergistic effect of multiple factors, and its occurrence is multi-stage. Due to the effects of biological factors, chemical factors, etc., irreversible changes occur in the DNA of liver cells, and at the same time or followed by the cancer-promoting stage, the expression of cell genetic information is mainly changed, and immune surveillance cannot play a role, eventually forming cancer foci.

1. Viral hepatitis: Currently, the relationship between viral hepatitis and liver cancer is known to involve three types of hepatitis viruses: HBV, HCV, and HDV. In my country, HBV is the main cause of liver cancer. In countries such as Japan, HCV is the main cause. In countries such as Russia, HDV is the main cause. The World Health Organization's 1983 liver cancer prevention meeting pointed out that HBV is the second known human carcinogen after tobacco (and lung cancer). The WHO's third viral hepatitis technical advisory group meeting in 1987 pointed out that more than 40% of persistently infected people will die of cirrhosis or liver cancer caused by HBV in adulthood.

2. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1): Epidemiological surveys in my country have repeatedly suggested that liver cancer is most likely to occur in the warm and humid southeast coastal areas where food is easily contaminated by AFB1, especially in areas where corn and peanut oil contaminated by mycotoxins are consumed. In 1991, American scholars discovered at the genetic level that AFB1 is a carcinogen for human liver cancer, which has attracted great attention. In a collection published in 1979, the International Cancer Research Center (IARC) has determined that aflatoxin is a human carcinogen with sufficient evidence. HBV infection and aflatoxin intake have a significant synergistic effect on the occurrence of human liver cancer.

3. Drinking water pollution: Surveys in areas with a high incidence of liver cancer show that people who drink heavily polluted ditch and pond water have a higher liver cancer mortality rate than those who drink well water, and those who drink deep well water have the lowest liver cancer mortality rate. Recently, due to the advancement of water quality analysis technology, my country and Taiwan have found that microcystins in water have a significant effect on promoting liver cancer.

4. Trace elements: The current research on the relationship between trace elements and liver cancer has found that the mortality rate of liver cancer is negatively correlated with the selenium content in the environment and the selenium level in the blood of residents. Animal experiments have shown that selenium can block aflatoxin-induced liver cancer in rats and ducks.

5. Heredity: In areas with a high incidence of liver cancer, liver cancer has been found to have a significant familial clustering, especially in families with blood ties, close relatives, and those living together.