Are people over 40 more likely to develop liver cancer? To prevent liver cancer, you also need to control hepatitis like this

Liver cancer is called "the cancer of cancers" because it develops rapidly, is difficult to treat, has poor efficacy, and has a high mortality rate in the near future. Therefore, early detection is very important. In particular, early detection of small liver cancer can save a life. Small liver cancer refers to liver cancer with a maximum diameter of a single cancer nodule of no more than 3 cm or a combined diameter of two cancer nodules of no more than 3 cm.

People over 40 are more likely to develop liver cancer

According to the attending physician, the hospital often has people coming to consult because their friends or relatives have liver cancer and they have long-term close contact with them, and they are worried about whether liver cancer will be transmitted to themselves. Experts say that liver cancer is not contagious, so there is no need to worry, but people over 40 years old are more likely to get liver cancer. Let's learn more about it with the experts below.

People over 40 years old with a history of hepatitis for more than 5 years or positive hepatitis B virus antigen markers, those with a history of alcoholism for more than 5 to 8 years and clinical manifestations of chronic liver disease, and patients with confirmed cirrhosis are two high-risk groups for liver cancer.

Experts remind these two groups that serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) should be tested every six months; when AFp is found to be elevated but below 200 micrograms/liter, it should be frequently reviewed and dynamically observed until it is excluded or diagnosed. The B-ultrasound that we are all very familiar with can make up for the error of alpha-fetoprotein testing. Patients who have the conditions should have B-ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein checked simultaneously. Alpha-fetoprotein testing is an ideal and simple 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, and hepatic artery angiography should be further performed.

Experts also pointed out that liver cancer is called "the cancer of cancers" because it develops rapidly, is difficult to treat, has poor efficacy, and has a high mortality rate in the near future. Therefore, early detection is very important. In particular, early detection of small liver cancer can save a life. Small liver cancer refers to liver cancer with a maximum diameter of a single cancer nodule of no more than 3 cm or a combined diameter of two cancer nodules of no more than 3 cm.

Experts also talked about the complex pathogenesis of liver cancer. Studies have shown that hepatitis virus infection and factors such as aflatoxin, drinking water pollution, alcoholism, smoking, nitrosamines, oral contraceptives, trace element imbalance, and genetics have a synergistic carcinogenic effect. Due to the combined influence of the above factors, liver cells in the human body may lose normal regulation and grow excessively and infinitely, eventually forming a tumor in the liver that can invade and destroy normal tissues and organs. This is liver cancer. Liver cancer cells not only occur in the liver, but also metastasize to other parts and form new tumors.

Therefore, the most important measure to prevent liver cancer is to prevent and control hepatitis and cirrhosis. The measures include:

1. Newborns and healthy people should be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine.

2. Hepatitis virus (HBsAg) carriers, especially chronic hepatitis patients, are advised to have alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) tests and liver ultrasound examinations regularly (every 6 months) to detect liver lesions in a timely manner.

3. For patients with cirrhosis, examinations should be performed every 3 months.

4. Control other risk factors in the environment, including not eating moldy food contaminated by aflatoxin, not drinking polluted water such as stagnant water in ditches and ponds, etc.

Liver cancer is a very easy disease to diagnose. Even a 5 mm tumor can be diagnosed by MRI and enhanced CT. Therefore, people with high risk factors for liver cancer should undergo regular checkups, which is the main way to detect early liver cancer. Patients with simple hepatitis B and hepatitis C who have not developed cirrhosis or liver fibrosis should undergo ultrasound examinations and alpha-fetoprotein tests every 6 months. If there are already signs of cirrhosis, the above examinations should be performed every 3 months.

People with a family history of liver cancer, long-term alcoholism or liver cirrhosis due to various reasons, or severe fatty liver should undergo ultrasound examination and alpha-fetoprotein test every 3 to 6 months. These examinations are the most important way to detect early liver cancer and are also important measures to improve the 5-year cure rate.

Early liver cancer is generally cured by treatment. Curable liver cancer generally refers to isolated tumors, not multiple tumors. Isolated tumors can be cured by surgery or ablation, including microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and anhydrous alcohol injection. Especially for tumors smaller than 3 cm, the 5-year survival rate can reach 70%~80% internationally.