Early screening for liver cancer = life-saving opportunity!

China accounts for 45% of new liver cancer cases worldwide, and the incidence of liver cancer in Wenzhou has increased by 18% in the past five years (data source: Wenzhou Tumor Registration Annual Report). Golden treatment window: The 5-year survival rate of early liver cancer (<3cm) is 70%, while that of late-stage liver cancer is only 12% (Primary Liver Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines 2022 Edition).

Wenzhou Sixth People's Hospital once admitted a patient who had a history of chronic hepatitis B for more than 40 years. He had inherited the hepatitis B virus from his mother. He usually smoked and drank, had an irregular lifestyle, and paid no attention to his liver health. When he saw that his friends had liver cancer and also had a history of chronic hepatitis B, metastasis had occurred when they were diagnosed, and the treatment effect was poor. He began to worry about his liver problems, and he was even more afraid that liver cancer would find him. After several days of ideological struggle, he came to Wenzhou Sixth People's Hospital for early screening for liver cancer. After a series of examinations, he was diagnosed with early liver cancer. Because of the timely discovery, he received surgical treatment, the treatment effect was ideal, the prognosis was good, and the life cycle was greatly improved.

Early screening for liver cancer = life-saving opportunity!

You may ask, why do we need to conduct early screening for liver cancer? Which groups are at high risk of liver cancer?

Why is it necessary to conduct early screening for liver cancer?

The occurrence of liver cancer is a gradual process, from normal liver cells to precancerous lesions, to early liver cancer, and finally to mid- to late-stage liver cancer. In this process, early liver cancer usually has no obvious symptoms. Once symptoms such as pain in the liver area, abdominal distension, and jaundice appear, it is often in the mid- to late-stage. The five-year survival rate of early liver cancer can be significantly improved through effective treatment. Through early screening for liver cancer, problems can be discovered when liver cancer is still in its early stages or even in the precancerous lesion stage, and timely intervention can be made, greatly improving the patient's survival probability and quality of life.

Early screening for liver cancer is the key to early detection of liver cancer and improving treatment outcomes.

Which groups of people are at high risk of liver cancer?

① Patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C: Long-term infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses will continuously damage liver cells and increase the risk of liver cancer.
② Patients with cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is an important risk factor for liver cancer, especially in patients with post-hepatitis cirrhosis.
③ People with a family history of liver cancer: If there is a liver cancer patient in the family, their relatives will have a relatively higher risk of developing liver cancer, which may be related to genetic factors and common living environment.
④ Long-term alcoholics: Alcohol can damage the liver, causing alcoholic liver disease, which then develops into cirrhosis and may eventually lead to liver cancer.
⑤ People who consume moldy food for a long time: Moldy food contains aflatoxin, which is a strong carcinogen and is closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer.

How to conduct early screening for liver cancer?
When you want to go to the hospital for early screening of liver cancer, you can make an appointment at the infectious department of a regular tertiary hospital. The doctor will do relevant tests for you according to your situation, such as serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test, liver ultrasound, liver CT or MRI examination, to clarify your diagnosis. For high-risk groups, we recommend an AFP test and liver ultrasound every 6 months. If the test results are abnormal, you should follow the doctor's advice and have further examinations or shorten the interval between examinations.

□Qiu Weixia, nurse of Wenzhou Sixth People's Hospital and the first infectious disease specialist nurse in Zhejiang Province