China News Service, Beijing, March 18th. March 18th is the National Liver Love Day.
According to the data released by the National Cancer Center in 2019, liver cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor in China, and its mortality rate already ranks second.
Which groups are at high risk?
How can liver cancer be prevented?
Data map: Outpatient building of a hospital.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yin Liqin
Liver cancer becomes the second leading cause of cancer death in China
The liver is an important metabolism and detoxification organ in the human body, but liver disease has always been a high incidence and common disease among Chinese residents.
According to the "2019 China Cancer Registration Annual Report", there were about 3.929 million people with malignant tumors in China in 2015.
The data also show that in 2015, there were about 365,000 new cases of liver cancer in China, accounting for 50% of the new cases in the world.
Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in China.
Liver cancer remains a common and fatal tumor in people under the age of 60.
According to Lin Ling, Ph.D. of the Department of Infectious Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital and a resident physician of the Department of Infectious Medicine of Beijing Friendship Hospital, liver cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the liver and can be divided into primary liver cancer and secondary liver cancer.
Primary liver cancer refers to cancer caused by changes in the liver itself, while secondary liver cancer is caused by cancer that occurs in other organs of the body and metastasizes to the liver.
Data map Photo by Xu Lanqing
How many steps does it take from hepatitis B virus infection to liver cancer?
According to Lin Ling, the etiology and pathogenesis of liver cancer are still not completely clear, but according to epidemiological investigations, it may be related to the following factors: viral hepatitis, food and drinking water, poisons and parasites, and genetic factors.
About 90% of liver cancer patients in my country have the background of hepatitis B virus infection.
The general progression from viral infection to liver cancer is presumed to be hepatitis B virus infection → chronic hepatitis B → post-hepatitis cirrhosis → liver cancer.
Therefore, patients with hepatitis (mainly hepatitis caused by chronic viral infections, such as hepatitis B and C) are more likely to develop liver cancer than people with normal livers.
In addition, alcoholic liver cirrhosis caused by long-term heavy drinking can also cause liver cancer.
The main component of wine is ethanol, and the acetaldehyde produced by ethanol metabolism has a direct damage effect on liver cells, and the liver is precisely the main place for alcohol detoxification and metabolism.
In addition, the doctor said that aflatoxin produced by mildew in food or water sources contaminated with algal toxins are also related to the occurrence of liver cancer.
Nitrosamine poisons and parasitic infections such as schistosomes can also lead to liver cancer, while smoked (bacon, etc.) foods and pickled (sauerkraut, etc.) foods contain a large amount of nitrosamines, and some raw foods may contain Parasites, therefore, should eat less pickled food and unprocessed raw and cold food.
Data map Photo by Xu Lanqing
How to take care of your "careful liver"?
According to doctors, most liver cancers develop on the basis of liver cirrhosis.
Generally, early-stage liver cancer can be asymptomatic. When patients have obvious symptoms, it often indicates that the disease has entered the middle and late stage, which leads to the missed optimal treatment time for most liver cancer patients when they are diagnosed.
The most common symptom of liver cancer is the pain in the liver area caused by the rapid growth of the tumor and the pulling of the liver capsule, which is mostly dull or distending pain.
Other manifestations include: hepatomegaly (can be palpable at the lower edge of the right costal arch or under the xiphoid process), jaundice (yellow staining of the skin and mucous membranes), ascites, weight loss, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, malnutrition, etc.
Lin Ling reminded that most of the high incidence of liver cancer is after the age of 40, and the incidence of liver cancer in men is significantly higher than that in women.
Therefore, when people reach middle age, on-demand physical examination is very important.
The related detection items for liver cancer include peripheral blood test for tumor markers, imaging examination, needle biopsy, etc.
In addition, for high-risk groups of liver cancer, such as chronic hepatitis due to various causes, cirrhosis, and older patients with chronic hepatitis virus infection, abdominal ultrasonography and tumor marker testing should be performed every 6-12 months.
If there are close relatives with liver cancer in the family, they should be more vigilant.
In addition, a healthy diet and drinking water are also very important.
(over)