What tests do liver cancer patients need to take? Two factors that affect the prognosis of liver cancer

The incidence of liver cancer has been very high in recent years. Experts say that once people find symptoms of liver cancer, they should promptly undergo relevant examinations, then find out the cause of the disease and provide symptomatic treatment. This will be more conducive to recovery from the disease. In order to control the disease as soon as possible, patients will receive further treatment through follow-up examinations. Let us now understand the necessity of liver cancer follow-up examinations.

1. Follow-up examination is an important measure in the process of cancer treatment, especially for patients after chemotherapy. Many patients think that they are cured after chemotherapy and ignore follow-up examination, which is very dangerous. Generally, cancer patients should have a follow-up examination every 3 months within 2 years after completing treatment, and then every 6 months, and once a year after 5 years.

2. At present, the items of reexamination generally include: whether there is lymphadenopathy in the whole body, whether there is a local mass, three routine tests of blood, urine and stool, blood biochemistry, isotope, B-ultrasound, X-ray examination, and CT and MRI if necessary. Lungs, liver, brain, bones and adrenal glands are the parts where cancer cells are easy to metastasize, so special attention should be paid. The patient's immune status, such as immunoglobulin, should also be checked. When reexamining, it is best for the patient to go to the original hospital for treatment, because there is the patient's treatment information there, which is conducive to making a correct judgment on the condition and timely treatment.

3. Whether after surgery or after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it is not the end of treatment for cancer patients. Because cancer is different from other diseases, it is a disease that is prone to recurrence. We cannot simply assume that the disappearance of clinical symptoms means recovery, nor can we assume that the body is recovered when the lesions disappear. Therefore, cancer patients should still be vigilant during the recovery period, pay attention to minor changes in the body, and properly adjust their lives to ensure the thoroughness of treatment.

Factors Affecting the Prognosis of Liver Cancer

1. The patient's general constitution affects the prognosis of liver cancer. General constitution refers to the patient's general condition and the reserve function of important organs such as the heart, liver, kidney, and lung. Age and gender themselves have little to do with the prognosis of tumors, but older people have an increased chance of developing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc., which increases the risk of surgery and the incidence of postoperative complications. Different genders have different incidence rates, which will affect the overall survival rate of liver cancer patients to a certain extent. People with existing organic diseases such as heart, liver, kidney, and lung will increase the risk of surgery; some patients cannot even tolerate surgical treatment, which will naturally affect the efficacy. Actively treating the primary disease will help improve the patient's short-term prognosis.

2. Psychological factors affect the treatment effect of liver cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that: "The liver belongs to wood. If wood is harmonious and regulated without stagnation, the blood will flow smoothly." The incidence and treatment effect of liver cancer are closely related to liver qi stagnation. Maintaining a good mental state is the first element for liver cancer patients to recover from the disease.

Advanced liver cancer patients generally have anxiety, tension, fear, pessimism, and despair. Doctors and family members should stabilize the patient's emotions, patiently explain the significance, methods, ways and precautions of various treatments to the patient, and communicate more with the patient. Advanced liver cancer patients generally hope to receive care, love and attention from their family. Therefore, the role of family members is more important, and they should communicate more with the patient, care, encourage and comfort the patient.

What examinations do liver cancer patients need to do?

1. The most commonly used examination is liver ultrasound. Ultrasound examination is a non-invasive examination and has no adverse effects on human tissues. It is simple to operate, intuitive and accurate, low-cost, convenient and non-invasive, and widely popular. It can be used for the screening of liver cancer and follow-up after treatment.

2. CT has become an important routine means of diagnosing liver cancer. Abdominal CT enhanced scanning can clearly show the size, number, shape, location, boundary, tumor blood supply, and relationship with the intrahepatic ducts of liver cancer. It is important for further clarifying the diagnosis, distinguishing from other benign liver lesions, and clarifying the staging and grading of liver cancer, which is of great significance for guiding treatment and judging prognosis. Image analysis software can also be used to reconstruct the various ducts in the liver, accurately track the course of blood vessels in each liver segment, the relationship between tumors and blood vessels, simulate the surgical resection plane, and calculate the volume of the pre-resected tumor and the remaining liver volume, greatly improving the safety of the operation.

3. Liver-specific MRI can improve the detection rate of small hepatocellular carcinoma. It is also helpful for differentiating liver cancer from focal hyperplastic nodules of the liver, hepatic adenomas, etc. It can serve as an important supplement to CT examination.

4. PET (positron emission tomography)-CT whole-body scan can understand the overall condition and evaluate tumor metastasis, and can more comprehensively determine the tumor stage and prognosis, but the price is relatively expensive and is generally not the first choice.

5. Selective hepatic artery angiography is an invasive examination. Since liver cancer is rich in blood supply, mainly supplied by the hepatic artery, hepatic artery angiography can clearly show the blood supply of small liver lesions and tumors. After a clear diagnosis, iodized oil can be injected to block the tumor supply vessels to achieve the purpose of treatment. It is suitable for patients who have not been diagnosed after other examinations. Patients with hepatitis B and C should have regular follow-up examinations, and if possible, they should have annual physical examinations. Liver B-ultrasound is the most basic examination.

If the patient's physical condition allows, they can do what they can, such as light housework or walking, practicing Tai Chi, practicing Qigong, etc., but they should not feel tired as a principle, and must avoid heavy labor and intense physical activities. Young patients who can resume work should try to return to work (must be light physical labor) to distract attention and anxiety about the disease, reduce mental burden, and promote physical recovery.