How to prevent liver cancer in daily life? Pay attention to the following points to prevent liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is a common malignant tumor in my country. Every year, about 300,000 to 400,000 people die of liver cancer in my country, accounting for 55% of the world's total. The high-incidence areas of liver cancer in my country are mainly in the southeastern coastal areas, with a male-to-female ratio of about 3:1. Liver cancer mostly occurs in middle-aged and strong people, and has a younger trend in recent years, with a high incidence age of 35-55 years old. Liver cancer is highly malignant, and most patients are already in the late stage when they are discovered. Even if patients who are discovered early have successfully undergone radical liver resection, many still cannot escape the clutches of postoperative recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, the prevention of liver cancer is extremely important. According to the specific situation in my country, the prevention of liver cancer should focus on the following two aspects: Zheng Yaxin, General Surgery, Shanghai Oriental Hospital

1. Prevention and treatment of hepatitis

Viral hepatitis (including hepatitis B and hepatitis C), cirrhosis, and liver cancer are considered to be the three steps in the development of liver cancer. In my country, about one in ten people carry the hepatitis B virus, and about 90% of patients with primary liver cancer also have hepatitis B. Some studies have shown that hepatitis B increases the risk of liver cancer by about 200 times.

The most effective measure to prevent hepatitis is to use the hepatitis B vaccine. Babies should be vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine after birth. If the mother is a hepatitis B virus carrier, the newborn should also be injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin. After years of promotion, in some areas with a high incidence of liver cancer, the hepatitis B carrier rate among children under 15 years old has been on a straight downward trend, and the incidence of liver cancer has also begun to decline. Adults who have never had hepatitis and whose two pairs of half are negative in hospital examinations should also be vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine for prevention, especially family members of hepatitis B virus positive people.

If you already have viral hepatitis, you should actively treat it to delay the process of hepatitis turning into cirrhosis. For hepatitis patients, in addition to using liver-protecting drugs, it is more important to eliminate the virus. If antiviral treatment is not ideal, hepatitis will frequently become active, accelerating the formation of cirrhosis and liver cancer. However, it is difficult to completely eliminate the hepatitis B virus. Its DNA will be stored in liver cells and will still replicate in large quantities at the right time, causing liver cell necrosis and hyperplasia, forming cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Therefore, regardless of whether hepatitis patients are in the active stage, they should have regular AFp and B-ultrasound examinations. Patients with "big three positives" and "small three positives" also need to check liver function and hepatitis B virus DNA in a timely manner. Studies have shown that the probability of "small three positives" developing liver cancer is not lower than that of "big three positives", and the proportion of "small three positives" in liver cancer patients is 12 times that of "big three positives". Some "small three positives" patients cannot produce e antigens due to virus mutations, but the virus in their bodies is still replicating in large quantities, which is highly concealed. If not treated in time, it is easy to develop cirrhosis and liver cancer. About 25% of hepatitis B virus carriers will develop chronic hepatitis, but there are also quite a number of people who are infected with the hepatitis B virus but have no history of hepatitis. After the onset of symptoms, they are examined by a doctor and found to have cirrhosis and liver cancer. Therefore, once you are found to be a hepatitis B virus carrier, you should undergo regular check-ups even if you have no symptoms.

2. Remember the proverb "Diseases come from the mouth"

The liver is the chemical factory of the human body. The nutrients in the food we eat every day are processed by the liver for use by the human body, and toxic substances must also be detoxified by the liver to avoid harming others. If we add toxins to our chemical factories for a long time, it will continue to corrode the machines and eventually lead to fatal consequences.

1. Drink less alcohol

"Drinking alcohol hurts the liver" is a well-known common sense. Alcohol enters the human body and must first be detoxified in the liver. During the detoxification process, acetaldehyde, an intermediate product that is toxic to liver cells, will be formed, causing liver cell necrosis and gradually developing into alcoholic cirrhosis, forming a hotbed for the occurrence of liver cancer. Studies have shown that about 40% of liver cancers have a history of drinking. If the drinking factor is removed, the incidence of liver cancer in my country will be reduced by 10%. It should be noted that mixing different types of alcohol with different degrees can increase the risk of liver cancer by 10 times. For those with a history of hepatitis B and hepatitis B virus carriers, drinking is a taboo, because alcohol will synergize with the virus and promote the occurrence of liver cancer.

2. Do not eat moldy food

Moldy peanuts, corn, rice, sweet potatoes, etc., due to the presence of a large number of fungi, these fungi can produce a substance called "aflatoxin", which is 10 times more toxic than potassium cyanide and is the strongest known carcinogen. Studies have confirmed that aflatoxin can cause liver cancer in many animals, including humans, and the shortest cancer time is only 24 weeks. In warm and humid areas, food is particularly prone to mold, and people should be careful to discard it in time. In addition, aflatoxin levels have also been found to exceed the standard in gutter oil, substandard peanut oil, and substandard milk. There are reports that some unscrupulous merchants use grains that are contaminated with aflatoxin and should be destroyed for brewing or raising dairy cows, which is a serious act that endangers society.

3. Pay attention to drinking water hygiene

People need to drink about 2000ml of water every day. When water is polluted, it not only contains a large amount of organic carcinogens, but also facilitates the reproduction of algae. Studies have found that toxins produced by certain algae are also closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer. Therefore, drinking pond water, ditch water and other stagnant water should be stopped in rural areas, and living water such as well water or tap water should be drunk. Clean water sources should also be selected in cities.

In addition to the above two aspects, drinking, fatigue, staying up late, and bad mood can all lead to the progression of hepatitis B and should be avoided. Actively exercising to maintain a good physique, developing good work and rest habits, maintaining an optimistic mood, and appropriately reducing stress in life and work are all positive for preventing liver cancer.

Timely detection of liver cancer in the early stages of liver cancer and radical treatment, so that patients can be cured, is also an important part of liver cancer prevention (secondary prevention). For high-risk groups prone to liver cancer, regular examinations are the key to early diagnosis of liver cancer. In my country, the criteria for high-risk groups are: HBsAg positive or with a history of chronic hepatitis, and over 35 years old. In this population, the detection rate of liver cancer is 500.5/100,000, which is 34.4 times that of the general population. About 60% of liver cancer patients can detect a special protein called alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) in their blood. Therefore, checking AFp and B-ultrasound are the most commonly used methods for screening liver cancer, and the sensitivity of combined examination can reach 92%. People in the high-risk group should be examined at least once every 6 months. Studies have shown that about 50% of liver cancers found in regular examinations are small liver cancers with a diameter of less than 3 cm. Most of these liver cancers can be radically removed or destroyed by various methods, and the 5-year survival rate can reach 50%. For those who do not have regular liver examinations, liver cancer is usually found in the advanced stage, with a surgical resection rate of only 7.5% and a 5-year survival rate of only about 5%, which has serious consequences. Therefore, regular liver examinations are extremely important for high-risk groups.

After a century of hard work, humans have made liver cancer a preventable and curable disease. By actively preventing and treating hepatitis and paying attention to a healthy diet, liver cancer can be prevented; regular specialist examinations can diagnose liver cancer in its early stages and remove or destroy it surgically before it threatens the patient's life. Liver cancer is no longer an incurable disease.