The best way to diagnose small liver cancer? These four are preferred

Most small liver cancers have no obvious clinical symptoms and signs and are often found during health examinations or regular follow-up of hepatitis B patients. Their surgical resection rate and 5-year survival rate after surgery are significantly higher than those of liver cancer patients with a diameter > 3 cm. However, about 10% of small liver cancers still have aneuploid DNA content and show invasive growth.

How to detect small liver cancer at an earlier stage? It is generally difficult to detect early liver cancer through symptoms, but small liver cancer can be monitored or diagnosed through some tests and examinations. There are four feasible methods:
1. Men who are 35 years old and above and have positive HBV (hepatitis B virus) or HCV (hepatitis C virus) serological indicators, a history of cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis, can be considered a high-risk group. Regular monitoring of them is the main way to detect early small liver cancer.
2. AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) and B-ultrasound are currently the most sensitive, convenient and economical monitoring methods for screening small liver cancer.
3. For those with low AFP positive concentrations, AFP heterogeneity detection can be used as an auxiliary measure, that is, the detection of other liver cancer markers, which is beneficial for the qualitative diagnosis of early liver cancer.
4. The development of imaging technologies such as ultrasound, CT and magnetic resonance imaging has made it easier to diagnose small liver cancers smaller than 1 cm. New contrast agents have further improved the sensitivity of ultrasound and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and ultrasound contrast imaging helps evaluate the vascular distribution and blood supply of liver cancer. Tissue-specific MRI enhancers (such as superparamagnetic iron oxide) can also further improve the detection rate of small liver cancers. In addition, the development of three-dimensional imaging technology has also provided a new means for diagnosing small liver cancers.