What are the early symptoms of liver cancer? Four details to pay attention to in preventing liver cancer

Liver cancer is almost the easiest to prevent. Preventing the spread of hepatitis B or C is the most effective measure to prevent liver cancer. Secondly, liver cancer is almost the easiest to diagnose early. Physical examination twice a year, one B-ultrasound examination and alpha-fetoprotein. In addition, liver cancer is almost the easiest to achieve a curative effect through minimally invasive treatment. Local ablation treatment for liver cancer has been developed for nearly 30 years, and radiofrequency ablation treatment has developed into one of the three major curative methods along with liver resection and liver transplantation.

What should we pay attention to in preventing liver cancer?

1. Hepatitis B vaccine injection

The infection rate of hepatitis B virus in the Chinese population is as high as over 13%. Once infected with hepatitis B, there is currently no complete cure. Therefore, preventing hepatitis is one of the most important measures to prevent liver cancer. Hepatitis B virus is transmitted through body fluids (such as blood, secretions, etc.). In addition to paying attention to the hygiene of blood products and not sharing razors and toothbrushes with others, vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine is the simplest and most effective prevention method. Not only children need to be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine when they are born, but adults who have not been vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine and have not had hepatitis can also be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine.

2. Do not eat moldy food

Moldy foods often contain aflatoxin, which is also one of the important factors that promote liver cancer. Moldy foods, such as moldy corn, peanuts, melon seeds, etc., contain more aflatoxin and should not be eaten.

3. Good lifestyle

Reduce nitrosamine intake and quit smoking and drinking. Excessive drinking can easily lead to alcoholic hepatitis, reduce immune function, and damage the liver's detoxification function.

4. Regular inspection

If someone in the family has liver cancer or other types of tumors, other family members should pay special attention. In addition to the cancer prevention measures mentioned above (preventing hepatitis, not eating moldy food, etc.), you should also develop a good habit of regular physical examinations. Every 6 months, go to the hospital for an abdominal B-ultrasound examination + serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFp) examination. It is recommended that men over 40 years old or women over 50 years old, people who drink alcohol for a long time, and diabetic patients go to the hospital for a physical examination every year.

What are the early symptoms of liver cancer?

1. Obvious loss of appetite: abdominal distension, indigestion, sometimes nausea and vomiting

2. Liver pain: There may be persistent or intermittent pain in the liver area, which may sometimes be aggravated by changes in body position.

It may radiate to the back or right shoulder. Advanced liver cancer may cause sudden severe abdominal pain and peritoneal irritation, which may be caused by necrosis of the tumor nodules or bleeding into the abdominal cavity. At this time, patients often go to the emergency room with symptoms of acute abdomen.

3. Systemic failure: severe fatigue, weight loss, progressive anemia and edema.

4. Jaundice, ascites, and skin itching are common symptoms of liver cancer.

About 1/3 of the cases have jaundice during the course of the disease. The cause of jaundice is that the tumor invades the main bile duct in the liver, and the metastatic cancer of the portal lymph nodes compresses the extrahepatic bile duct. Ascites is often caused by the patient's original liver cirrhosis, the invasion of cancer tissue into the vein to form a cancer thrombus, and the compression of the portal vein by cancer nodules. Ascites often accumulates very quickly and can be straw yellow or bloody. Skin itching is a common symptom of patients with liver disease and liver cancer.

5. Bleeding.

It often manifests as nose bleeding and subcutaneous bleeding, which is mostly caused by liver tissue destruction and liver failure. Portal hypertension can cause esophageal and gastric varicose vein rupture and bleeding. When cancerous tissue invades the bile duct at the liver portal, it can cause bile duct bleeding.

6. Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and fever.

90% of liver cancers cause liver enlargement. The enlarged liver is often hard and irregular in appearance, with nodules of varying sizes on the edges. Giant liver cancers can sometimes deform the liver, making it difficult to distinguish during palpation. Splenomegaly mostly occurs in patients with liver cancer and cirrhosis. Metastatic cancer to the spleen is extremely rare.

Fever is quite common in patients with liver cancer, which may be caused by ischemic necrosis of cancer tissue, absorption of necrotic products and concurrent infection.

Therefore, it is very important to do self-examination at ordinary times. "Early detection and early treatment" is the principle of liver cancer treatment, so we should pay attention to it at ordinary times. When you feel tired and lying down to rest cannot relieve the symptoms, it is likely a sign of liver disease. If the cancer tissue is larger, there will be a dull feeling in the pit of the stomach, or a dull pain in the upper right part of the abdomen. Even if it is not painful, there will be a sense of oppression and discomfort. Symptoms caused by stomach disorders often occur, including loss of appetite, nausea, fullness after eating, and stomach discomfort. If you lose weight, have unexplained fever from time to time, and jaundice appears, be sure to go to the hospital for alpha-fetoprotein (AFp), B-ultrasound, CT, X-ray hepatic angiography and other methods to confirm the diagnosis.