Why do people still get liver cancer when their liver function is normal?

Liver function test is an essential test in routine projects. In the eyes of most people, normal liver function means that the liver is healthy, but this is actually a major cognitive misunderstanding.

First of all, normal liver function does not mean that the liver is healthy.

Normal liver function only means that there is no inflammation or necrosis in the liver when the blood is drawn. However, it is possible that the liver has already hardened, or that the liver has had inflammation but the inflammation was stopped when the blood was drawn.

In the early or middle stages of liver cancer, transaminases may be slightly elevated or even normal. This is because when liver cancer develops, only the liver tissue surrounding the cancer cells is compressed or invaded.

In addition, liver function tests cannot be used as a standard for screening liver cancer.

The liver is a very "tolerant" organ with tremendous regenerative and reserve functions. Even if the liver is invaded by cancer cells, even if only 1/3 of the liver cells remain, it can still function normally and will not affect the body's metabolism. Liver function tests will not show abnormalities, and the patient may not have any discomfort symptoms, so it is easy to delay the disease.

Clinically, many liver cancer patients only seek examination when they experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and loss of appetite, and by the time they are discovered, the cancer is already in the middle or late stages.

If you want to know more about liver health, you must check these

For some special populations, liver function tests cannot fully reflect the specific condition of the liver. If you want to screen for cancer or cirrhosis, you should also combine it with other tests...

1. Liver cirrhosis: B-ultrasound + fibrosis detection

To detect early liver cirrhosis, an ultrasound examination combined with fibrosis testing is required.

Liver B-ultrasound can help us roughly understand the condition of fatty liver, whether there are cysts in the liver, whether there is ascites, and whether there are stones in the bile duct and hepatic duct. In addition, liver B-ultrasound is easy to operate, does not cause any damage or pain to the human body, and is relatively low in cost.

Combined with fibrosis testing, it is possible to detect whether there is obvious liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

2. Liver cancer: B-ultrasound + alpha-fetoprotein

Since B-ultrasound cannot detect tumors smaller than 1 cm, liver cancer screening also requires alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) testing. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a specific marker for liver cancer, and its detection value is often used as a standard for diagnosing primary liver cancer.

If you have been infected with hepatitis B/C viruses, have severe fatty liver, a history of cirrhosis, have liver cancer in your family, or are at high risk of liver cancer, it is recommended that you have an ultrasound + alpha-fetoprotein test every six months to keep abreast of your liver health.

Even if there are no symptoms, men over 40 and women over 50 should be screened for liver cancer every year.

It should be noted that if jaundice, liver palms, low fever, fatigue, aversion to greasy food and other symptoms occur at the same time, you should be alert to problems with liver metabolism; if spider nevi appear, you should also be alert to liver disease. When these symptoms occur, you should seek medical attention and treatment in time.