What is the most effective way to prevent liver cancer? Beware of these carcinogens that cause liver cancer

There are about 600,000 new cases of liver cancer every year in the world. The annual mortality rate of liver cancer in my country has always been very high, often ranking at the top of the list of deaths from malignant tumors. With such a high incidence and mortality rate of liver cancer, it is understood that 98% of patients with primary liver cancer have hepatitis B, which can easily transform into cirrhosis and then into liver cancer. The incidence rate in men is 3-4 times higher than that in women. In addition to hepatitis B, what other common factors are likely to cause liver cancer?

Risk Factors for Liver Cancer

Alcoholism: Long-term alcoholism can significantly damage liver cells and lead to malnutrition, making the liver more susceptible to cirrhosis, which can develop into liver cancer.

Chemical carcinogens: Other information reveals that safrole, cycad glycosides, pyrrolidine alkaloids, nitrosamines and azobenzenes in food can also cause liver cancer.

Water pollution: Water itself certainly does not cause tumors, but epidemiological surveys have shown that the degree of drinking water pollution is positively correlated with the incidence of liver cancer. This undoubtedly suggests that there are carcinogens in the water source, and it may be the combined effect of multiple carcinogens, such as humic acid and cyanobacterial toxins.

Aflatoxin contamination of food: Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic of the 10 aflatoxin toxins and is the one most closely associated with liver cancer. For example, more than 30 years ago, a farm in the UK fed turkeys with peanut cake that was moldy due to aflatoxin, causing 100,000 chicks to die quickly. Epidemiological studies have shown that the geographical distribution of liver cancer in my country is basically consistent with the distribution of aflatoxin contamination. In areas where grain, oil, and food are seriously contaminated by aflatoxin B1, the incidence and mortality of liver cancer are also high.

What is the most effective way to prevent liver cancer?

1. To prevent liver cancer, we should pay attention to the pathogenesis of liver cancer. Hepatitis virus infection, aflatoxin, drinking water pollution, alcoholism, smoking, nitrosamines, oral contraceptives, trace element imbalance, genetics and other factors have a synergistic carcinogenic effect. Due to the combined influence of the above factors, liver cells in the human body may lose normal regulation, grow excessively and infinitely, and eventually form a tumor in the liver that can invade and destroy normal tissues and organs. This is liver cancer. To prevent liver cancer, we must avoid the above risk factors.

2. Liver cancer must be detected and treated early, which is also one of the effective ways to prevent liver cancer. Because liver cancer develops rapidly, treatment is difficult, the efficacy is poor, and the recent mortality rate is quite high. Therefore, early detection is very important. Especially for small liver cancer, early detection can be said to save a life. The so-called small liver cancer refers to liver cancer with a maximum diameter of a single cancer nodule not exceeding 3 cm or the sum of the diameters of two cancer nodules not exceeding 3 cm. This is also an effective measure to prevent liver cancer. High-risk groups should be checked regularly, and the cure rate of liver cancer is higher when it is discovered early.

3. Regular testing of serum alpha-fetoprotein is also very helpful for the prevention of liver cancer. When AFp is found to be elevated but below 200 micrograms/liter, frequent rechecks and dynamic observations should be performed until the diagnosis is excluded or confirmed. Patients who have the conditions are better to check B-ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein simultaneously. Experts say that alpha-fetoprotein testing is an ideal and simplest method for screening small liver cancers, and B-ultrasound examination is an important imaging diagnostic method for detecting small liver cancers. If the patient's AFp continues to rise, B-ultrasound and CT tests cannot support the diagnosis, further hepatic artery angiography should be performed, which is an effective measure to prevent liver cancer.