[Fat Bear Science] Wu Mengda has liver cancer. 80% of liver cancers are discovered in the late stage? These are the things to avoid

On February 22, 2021, Tin Kai-man stated in an interview with the media that Ng Man-tat (Uncle Tat) was diagnosed with liver cancer before the Chinese New Year, and the cancer cells had begun to spread. He recently completed the surgery and entered the chemotherapy stage.

Many friends in the circle have prayed for Uncle Da on major platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, hoping that he can recover soon and be safe.

After learning about Wu Mengda's surgery, netizens also sent their blessings, hoping that Wu Mengda would "recover soon". Many people also said, "Looking forward to your new work" and "I want to see you and Stephen Chow continue to partner!"

Earlier this month, 43-year-old musician Zhao Yingjun also passed away due to liver cancer, which made many people feel deeply saddened and also made everyone pay more attention to their physical health.

In fact, liver cancer is the second most common cancer, and 80% of patients are already in the advanced stage when they are diagnosed, with metastasis and spread, making treatment more difficult and ineffective. In the face of this "silent killer", do we really have no way to deal with it?

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Li Dewei

Director of the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor Center of the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University, chief physician, doctor of medicine, and master's supervisor.

He is good at laparoscopic, robotic and traditional pancreatic surgery (including duodenectomy, mid-pancreatectomy, and tail pancreatectomy); laparoscopic, robotic and traditional liver surgery (including complex liver lobe and liver segment resection); laparoscopic pancreatic, robotic and traditional biliary surgery (including biliary tumor and biliary stone surgery); and liver transplantation.

Clinic hours: Tuesday all day

Drinking and irregular work and rest

Liver cancer found 15-year-old girl

Experts from the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor Center of the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University shared a typical case: When 15-year-old Miaomiao was admitted to the hospital to determine her condition, she was already in the late stage of liver cancer.

Why did she get liver cancer at such a young age? It turned out that in addition to being a carrier of the hepatitis B virus, Miaomiao also had an extremely irregular diet and daily routine. At the age of 14, she tried drinking alcohol, and over time, her alcohol tolerance increased.

Miaomiao said that every time she drank, she felt uncomfortable and her heart was blocked. Occasionally, she would have pain in her chest. However, she did not pay attention to these signals from her body. She thought she was young and healthy enough, so she did not quit drinking and did not get checked.

In addition to drinking, Miaomiao also has an irregular work and rest schedule. She said that she usually goes to bed in the early hours of the morning because she has to go to work the next morning. She is seriously sleep deprived and often in a state of lack of sleep. Over time, her health deteriorates and she begins to suffer from frequent and persistent pain.

80% of liver cancer patients

It was already in the late stage when it was discovered

In China, 80% of liver cancer patients are diagnosed in the late stage, when the effectiveness of treatment is greatly reduced, so early detection and early treatment become the key.

Why is it discovered at the late stage? There are two main reasons. First, the liver is hidden deep in the abdominal cavity, which occupies a large volume and has a large elasticity. Therefore, when the tumor is small, the symptoms are not obvious or there is no discomfort, and many people will not choose to seek medical treatment.

Secondly, for normal people, as long as there is 30% of the liver, it is enough to maintain the normal functioning of the human body, and there will be no symptoms of liver failure. Therefore, when many liver cancer patients develop symptoms such as jaundice and ascites, they have missed the best time for treatment.

Hepatocarcinogenesis

Related to these factors

Although there are cases of young patients with liver cancer, the trend of younger age is not particularly obvious. Instead of worrying about age, it is better to pay more attention to the factors that induce liver cancer.

■ What factors are related to the occurrence of liver cancer?

Viral Hepatitis:

Among them, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the main causes of liver cancer;

Cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis caused by various reasons, such as post-hepatitis cirrhosis, alcoholic cirrhosis, and schistosomiasis cirrhosis, are all high-risk factors for liver cancer.

Drinking

Long-term heavy drinking will increase the risk of liver cancer, especially for patients with hepatitis B and C. Long-term drinking will greatly increase the risk of liver cancer.

Family factors:

Liver cancer is not inherited, but some liver cancers have familial clustering, that is, more than one member of the same family may be diagnosed with liver cancer successively or in the same generation;

Eating habits

Long-term consumption of smoked, pickled and moldy food will increase the risk of liver cancer. Aflatoxin in moldy food is one of the factors that cause liver cancer.

Bad living habits

Bad habits such as staying up late, overwork, and drunkenness will increase the risk of liver cancer.

Acetaldehyde is produced in the body after drinking

Causes cell DNA damage and cancer

Why does being drunk increase the risk of liver cancer? After drinking, alcohol (ethanol) is converted into acetaldehyde, and then into acetic acid. Ethanol and acetic acid are non-toxic. However, after drinking a lot of alcohol, a large amount of acetaldehyde will accumulate in the human body, which will have toxic effects on many tissues and organs, such as causing cell DNA damage and carcinogenesis. The harm to the liver is gradually accumulated. With the increase in the amount and the extension of drinking time, it will develop from alcoholic fatty liver → alcoholic hepatitis → alcoholic cirrhosis, and finally lead to liver cancer.

The human body's tolerance to alcohol is related to the alcohol metabolizing enzymes in the body. People who blush when drinking have less alcohol metabolizing enzymes in their bodies, which easily leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body, causing vasodilation (manifested as a blushing reaction). If these people drink a lot of alcohol for a long time, their risk of cancer is definitely higher than others.

If you often mix red wine, white wine and beer together, it will cause greater irritation and harm to organs such as the liver, stomach and kidneys.

For the sake of health, it is best not to drink alcohol. For those who like it, the less you drink, the better. For special groups such as pregnant women or people who have various health conditions caused by alcohol, alcohol intake should be prohibited.

For those who feel stomach discomfort after drinking, they can induce vomiting first to quickly expel the alcohol in the stomach, and then eat some food that is good for sobering up and protecting the stomach, such as watermelon, fresh tomatoes, bananas, thick rice soup, tofu, honey water, grapes, yogurt, etc. For those who are in a coma, they should lie flat and keep warm, clear vomitus in time to prevent it from entering the trachea, and immediately ask a doctor for emergency treatment.

More than just liver cancer

Staying up late and overwork can cause a variety of diseases

With clear factors, prevention can also be carried out.

Reduce transmission, get vaccinated

Reducing the spread of hepatitis B and C viruses, popularizing hepatitis B vaccination, using condoms when having sex with hepatitis B and C patients, avoiding sharing nail clippers and razors with hepatitis B and C patients, strictly implementing aseptic principles when performing invasive operations on patients in hospitals, and minimizing the transfusion of blood products can effectively reduce the spread of hepatitis B and C.

Seek medical treatment promptly and receive scientific treatment

Patients who have already suffered from hepatitis B or hepatitis C should seek medical treatment promptly and receive scientific treatment to reduce the cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Control your drinking to reduce your risk

Stop drinking. Long-term heavy drinking may lead to alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. Some patients with alcoholic cirrhosis eventually develop liver cancer.

Pay attention to taboos and eat scientifically

Do not eat rice, flour, corn, soybeans and peanuts contaminated with aflatoxin. Do not eat or eat less foods containing high levels of nitrosamines, such as sauerkraut, pickles, salted fish and sausages.

Proper exercise and regular life

Appropriate physical exercise, a balanced diet, maintaining a good attitude, avoiding excessive fatigue and maintaining a good life and work rhythm can enhance physical fitness and immunity and reduce the incidence of liver cancer.

Follow your doctor's advice and get regular screening

Although liver cancer is not hereditary, it does run in families. Therefore, if someone in the family is diagnosed with liver cancer, other family members should follow the doctor's advice and undergo appropriate liver cancer screening.

Li Dewei also said that staying up late and overwork are triggers for any disease.

Text/Fat Bear Photos/Internet (Please contact to delete) Review/Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Tumor Center

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