What are the symptoms of advanced liver cancer? Four essential examinations to prevent liver cancer

You must know these facts about liver disease

The World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 90 million chronic hepatitis B patients in China, of which 28 million require treatment, and 7 million require emergency treatment due to the risk of severe liver disease and cancer. In addition, there are 130 to 150 million hepatitis C patients worldwide, and about 10 million chronic hepatitis C patients in China, of which 2.5 million are in urgent need of treatment.

It is estimated that about 400,000 people die from hepatitis-related complications in China each year. The WHO representative in China said that one in every 13 people in China is chronically infected with hepatitis B or C, and most of them do not know that they are carrying the virus, making hepatitis a "silent epidemic." If these people do not receive treatment, one-third of their infection will deteriorate into fatal diseases such as cancer.

Be alert to the signs of advanced liver cancer

1. Symptoms of metastasis. There are corresponding symptoms in the place where the tumor metastasizes, which sometimes become the first symptoms of liver cancer. What are the late symptoms of liver cancer? Metastasis to the lungs can cause coughing and hemoptysis; metastasis to the pleura can cause chest pain and bloody pleural effusion; metastasis to the bones can cause local pain or pathological fractures; metastasis to the spine or compression of the spinal nerves can cause local pain and paraplegia.

2. Pain in the liver area, the most common is intermittent, or continuous dull pain or distending pain. Rapid growth of the tumor will tighten the liver capsule and invade the diaphragm to cause pain. This pain can radiate to the right shoulder and right back. Tumors growing to the right back can cause right waist pain. Sudden severe abdominal pain and peritoneal irritation signs indicate that the cancerous nodule is under the capsule, bleeding or rupturing into the abdominal cavity.

To prevent liver cancer, patients with liver disease should have regular checkups

Since early liver cancer has no obvious symptoms, it is difficult for patients to detect it themselves. Therefore, experts emphasize that health check-ups must be taken seriously. People over 40 years old should have regular liver ultrasounds and blood tests for alpha-fetoprotein (AFp), so that "small liver cancers" can be discovered early. The following high-risk groups for liver cancer should have B-ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein tests every six months, and CT screening when necessary:

1. Natural population in areas with high incidence of liver cancer;

2. Have a history of hepatitis or HBsAg positive;

3. Family history of liver cancer;

4. Patients who have undergone resection of primary liver cancer;

In clinical practice, it is common to see liver cancer patients go through the three steps of "chronic hepatitis - cirrhosis - liver cancer". Experts have found that more than 90% of liver cancer patients have hepatitis B, and their condition fluctuates repeatedly. Hepatitis B patients must not ignore their condition, but should undergo standardized antiviral treatment to keep their condition stable in order to reduce the occurrence of cirrhosis and liver cancer.