Can liver cancer recurrence be prevented? What are the causes of liver cancer?

Can liver cancer recurrence be prevented?

Two months ago, Mr. Wang was found to have a "mass tumor" in his liver during a physical examination and underwent surgery to remove it. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was hepatocellular carcinoma. Fortunately, due to timely discovery, the tumor was only 3 cm in size, which was classified as a "small liver cancer". The doctor told him that the effect of this type of liver cancer surgery is relatively ideal, and the 5-year survival rate can reach about 80%.

Mr. Wang breathed a sigh of relief at the fortunate outcome. But with it came a new sense of uneasiness: I heard that some patients had relapses after surgery. What was going on? Can relapses be prevented? After all, I had cancer. Did I need postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy like other cancers? Or was it better to take some Chinese medicine?

Mr. Wang's doubts are not without reason. The doctor told him that radical resection is indeed one of the most effective methods for treating liver cancer, but the particularity of liver cancer is reflected in the high recurrence rate after surgery. The 5-year recurrence rate of most liver cancers is as high as 80%. Controlling the recurrence of liver cancer is a major problem that currently plagues the medical community and is becoming a "bottleneck" in improving the overall efficacy of liver cancer treatment in my country.

How does relapse occur?

The specific mechanism of postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma is very complex. Currently, it is believed that there are two main ways: one is that the surgery fails to completely remove the tumor, which may be caused by poor tumor location or invasion of blood vessels. These remaining cancer cells are like seeds scattered in the soil, which will sprout and grow again after a period of time.

Mr. Wang asked: "My tumor is very small, and the surgeon said the surgery was very thorough. Is that right?"

The doctor told him: This problem involves another way for liver cancer to recur. Most liver cancer patients in my country develop from viral hepatitis and liver cirrhosis step by step. If these background diseases are not removed, patients will still face the risk of growing another tumor. These two pathways often exist at the same time and overlap with each other, so the recurrence rate of small liver cancer (less than 5 cm in diameter) can reach 60% 5 years after surgery.

How to prevent relapse?

"Then is there any way to prevent recurrence? I heard that there is a kind of interventional treatment that is effective in preventing recurrence, and some patients have received Chinese medicine treatment. Are these methods suitable for me?" Mr. Wang asked worriedly.

At present, there are many ways to prevent the recurrence of liver cancer, but they are still in the research stage, and there is no recognized effective method. Interventional therapy is widely used in China, but the actual effect is not ideal. For large liver cancer, postoperative chemotherapy and embolic drug interventional therapy (mainly by blocking tumor blood vessels) may be meaningful, but for small liver cancer, since there is basically no residual tumor in the liver after radical surgery, it is uncertain whether the medication will be effective and what the long-term effect will be. What's more, these drugs may damage the liver and bring negative effects.

Based on Mr. Wang's condition, the doctor recommended the use of traditional Chinese medicine to prevent recurrence.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the formation of tumors is a local manifestation of systemic diseases. Although the local tumor has been removed, the patient's overall dysfunction has not been corrected, that is, the soil for the formation of tumors has not been improved. Once the conditions are right, the tumor will recur. The Chinese medicine program is guided by the holistic concept. At the stage when the tumor load is the smallest after surgery, it improves the overall function, improves the function of the internal organs, changes the overall environment suitable for tumor growth, and cooperates with detoxifying Chinese medicine to eliminate the remaining tumor cells. This two-pronged approach can delay or prevent the recurrence of liver cancer. The program uses cat ginseng and stone stalks to detoxify and fight cancer, and uses raw rice kernels, malt sprouts, and Shenqu to protect the spleen and stomach and support the positive energy. It is supplemented with turtle shells and other softening and dispersing nodules to achieve the effect of strengthening the body and detoxification.

For each specific patient, the syndrome type should be determined according to the "Basic Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria for Primary Liver Cancer" based on the Chinese medicine syndrome manifestations, and the corresponding combination should be given based on this basic prescription. For Mr. Wang, the doctor also recommended that he receive the Chinese medicine preparation Huachansu injection once every three months within the first year after surgery. This Chinese medicine dried toad skin extract has anti-tumor and anti-viral effects and promotes immunity.

Self-monitoring is important

The doctor developed a three-year long-term intervention and follow-up plan for Mr. Wang, and repeatedly emphasized that self-monitoring is very important for patients with small liver cancer after surgery. Within one year after surgery, abdominal ultrasound examination and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) test should be performed at least once every two months, and once every three months after one year. If there is any discomfort, check at any time. Since most patients with "small liver cancer" do not have discomfort symptoms after surgery, they often ignore reexamination. Regular examination and early detection are precisely the best way to seize the opportunity for treatment.

What are the causes of liver cancer?

To deal with the king of liver cancer, of course, we must start from the most basic point, grasp the cause and eradicate it completely.

So far, the cause of liver cancer is still not very clear, but it is generally believed that the following factors may be related to the incidence of liver cancer.

1. The relationship between liver disease and liver cancer: At present, it has been noticed clinically that patients with liver cancer often have a history of acute hepatitis → chronic hepatitis → cirrhosis. From a pathological point of view, about 50-80% of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma are accompanied by cirrhosis: and 18.2-50% of cases of bile duct epithelial cell carcinoma of primary liver cancer are accompanied by cirrhosis. This figure shows the close relationship between the two diseases. Liver cancer may be the result of excessive regeneration of liver cells caused by cirrhosis. In addition, through the determination of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in liver cancer patients, it was found that the positive rate of HBsAg in liver cancer patients was as high as 81.82%. This result seems to indicate that he had suffered from hepatitis B before, but the relationship between the two needs further study. But one thing is certain, preventing viral hepatitis and cirrhosis is very important to reduce the occurrence of liver cancer. Once you have viral hepatitis, you should actively treat it, pay attention to rest, and recover as soon as possible. At the same time, you should reduce alcohol intake, avoid the occurrence of alcoholic liver disease, actively prevent cirrhosis, and maintain a happy spirit.

2. Aflatoxin and its toxins: A large number of scientific experiments have proven that feeding experimental animals with foods containing aflatoxin or its toxins can cause liver cancer in animals. Therefore, some people believe that the southern part of Africa is relatively humid, and foods are less likely to mold, and the incidence of liver cancer is also relatively low. Foods that are prone to mold include rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, and corn. Therefore, to prevent liver cancer, it is necessary to preserve the food at home and prevent it from mold. Resolutely do not eat food contaminated with aflatoxin.

3. Others: eating too much food containing nitrosamine compounds, parasitic diseases (mainly liver flukes, namely Clonorchis sinensis). Therefore, eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and eggs in your daily diet, and avoid eating unhygienic, stale, and poorly processed food!

Remember! There are six principles of liver protection diet

1. Eat a balanced diet, mainly staple food, and eat more vegetables and fruits;

2. Do not eat unclean food, especially moldy peanuts and unpickled sauerkraut;

3. Eat less animal liver;

4. Don’t drink excessively, and don’t drink on an empty stomach. Drinking on an empty stomach makes it easier to absorb acetaldehyde;

5. When eating barbecue, do not eat food that comes into direct contact with charcoal fire, as it contains more carcinogens than electric grilling or grilling on an iron plate;

6. Pickled foods are easily contaminated by microorganisms and can damage the liver. You can appropriately supplement B vitamins and minerals, such as cereal foods.

To stay away from liver cancer, you should always "cheer up" your liver!

Many people often pay attention to what simple and feasible methods are there in daily life to strengthen liver function and prevent liver disease. Many people also want to know what hepatitis B patients can eat and what they cannot eat. In fact, Chinese medicine has had the theory of "medicine and food have the same origin" since ancient times. Therefore, why not look for good friends of the liver in the food we eat every day.

Tomato: Rich in vitamin C and lycopene. People with abnormal liver function can often eat tomato and duck egg soup, which has the effect of nourishing yin and can be used as a daily diet for hepatitis patients.

Kiwi: Rich in vitamin C, it can nourish and protect the liver and can be used as an auxiliary treatment for hepatitis.

Banana: It is cool in nature and has the function of nourishing yin. It is said that eating one banana a day can prevent liver cirrhosis for hepatitis patients.

Royal jelly and honey: It is best to use them together in a ratio of 1:5, but they can also be used alone to protect the liver, improve immunity, enhance the phagocytic ability of macrophages, and increase the production of interferon.

Fungi: Contain fungal polysaccharides such as shiitake mushrooms. One of the fungi polysaccharides is the fungal base RNA which is an inducer of interferon. Regular consumption of fungi can improve the body's disease resistance.

Duck: Duck is cool in nature and has the effect of nourishing yin. People with hepatitis generally have yin deficiency and internal heat, so it is recorded that hepatitis patients should not eat chicken (chicken is hot in nature). Stewed whole duck with snow pear is a good diet therapy for hepatitis patients.

Black plum: Black plum can be bought at Chinese medicine stores. If the liver is damaged, drinking a small amount of alcohol will also cause a hangover; even if the liver is normal, after drinking a large amount of alcohol, the liver will find it difficult to deal with the toxins produced in time, and a hangover will occur. Therefore, to prevent hangovers, you should first strengthen the liver and enhance the liver's detoxification function. You can use black plum decoction and add sugar to drink. This is a quick-acting method. You can also use American ginseng decoction, which is also effective.

30g of wolfberry, 1 hen, 1250g of broth, 10g of cooking wine. Open the hen at the anus, remove the internal organs, and wash them; wash the wolfberry and put it into the chicken's abdomen, then put it in a bowl (with the chicken's abdomen facing up), put onions and ginger, add broth, add salt, cooking wine, and pepper, steam it for 2 hours, remove the ginger and onions, and adjust the saltiness. Eat the meat and drink the soup twice a day, which has the effects of protecting the liver and nourishing the essence, nourishing yin and improving eyesight. It is suitable for patients with chronic hepatitis, early cirrhosis, anemia, etc.

Other foods listed as being able to treat liver disease include clam soup, lemon, and chrysanthemum tea. You can also buy honeysuckle and licorice from a Chinese medicine store, add brown sugar (black sugar) to the decoction and drink it. In addition, angelica, raw rehmannia, scutellaria, gardenia, light bamboo leaves, antelope wine, and moutan bark also have detoxification effects. Lycium barbarum is also good for the liver.

Liver cancer is not scary. As long as we do a good job in the "three-level prevention" of etiology prevention, three early preventions and active comprehensive specific treatment, we can effectively avoid the occurrence of liver cancer or reduce the recurrence rate of liver cancer. To prevent liver cancer, we must start with our daily life, start with changing our eating habits, and "refuel" the liver!