Mr. Tsang, a 45-year-old sales manager, often needs to socialize at work, drinking every once in a while, and eating irregularly.
He was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B during a physical examination 10 years ago, and his doctor advised him to take medication and have regular follow-ups. But he didn't feel any discomfort in his body, so he ate it a few times and didn't recheck it again.
About half a year ago, Mr. Zeng found that he couldn't eat a little, and his appetite became very poor. At the strong request of his wife, he went to the hospital for an examination, and after examination, it was found that there was an abnormal mass in the liver, and the pathological biopsy was confirmed to be liver cancer, which had developed to an advanced stage.
In this regard, the doctor felt very sorry, if Mr. Zeng had been diagnosed with hepatitis B and had regular follow-up examinations and regular treatment, perhaps the disease would not have progressed to this point.
1. Nearly half of the world's liver cancer is in China, why are there more and more liver cancer patients?
According to the 2020 epidemiological statistics released by WHO, there are about 840,000 new cases of liver cancer and 780,000 deaths in the world every year, of which about 410,000 new cases are reported in mainland China every year, accounting for 45.3% of the world's total, and 391,000 deaths, accounting for 47.1%. It is not difficult to see from the data that about half of the world's liver cancer occurrences and deaths occur on the mainland.
Some scholars have conducted a statistical analysis of the incidence of liver cancer among white Americans and Chinese growing in the United States, and found that the incidence of liver cancer among Chinese born and raised in the United States is three times lower than that of those born and raised in China. In this regard, the researchers believe that it may be related to the overall environment in the mainland.
What are the "characteristics" of the mainland that will make the number of liver cancer patients so large?
In fact, there are two main reasons for the high incidence of liver cancer in mainland China, namely hepatitis B and alcohol consumption.
Among them, chronic hepatitis B virus infection is the primary cause of high incidence of liver cancer in mainland China, and about 85% of liver cancer occurs in China. According to statistics, there are currently about 70 million cases of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the mainland, of which 2000~30 million cases have evolved into chronic hepatitis B, and these patients are the "reserve army" of liver cancer.
Moreover, long-term chronic inflammation can lead to fibrosis of liver tissue, which gradually progresses to irreversible cirrhosis, and eventually liver cancer.
Alcohol is a clear carcinogen, including liver cancer. Studies have found that about 5.5% of cancer occurrences and 5.8% of cancer deaths worldwide are alcohol-related. However, this is not to say that drinking alcohol will necessarily cause cancer, but that long-term heavy drinking can significantly increase the risk of cancer.
2. There are 5 abnormalities in the body, which may be the liver "calling for help"
The liver is a "silent" organ, and because it does not have peripheral nerves, it usually has no obvious symptoms when the disease occurs in the early stages. Symptoms will not be obvious until the course of the disease is severe and the surrounding organs are involved, but at this time it has often developed to the middle and late stages. Data show that about 70~80% of patients are in the middle and advanced stages once diagnosed, and the opportunity for surgical treatment is lost.
Although there is a lack of typical clinical manifestations in the early stage of liver cancer, it can still be found through some detailed observations, and it should not be ignored.
1. Bleeding
Patients in the early stage of liver cancer will have abnormal bleeding in some parts, such as bleeding gums, nosebleeds, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc., and there will be inexplicable ecchymosis on the skin when there is no collision. This is due to impaired liver function, which causes clotting factors to not work properly.
2. Pain in the liver area
Liver cancer can cause patients to have abnormal pain in the right upper abdomen, which usually manifests as persistent dull pain and dull pain, and the pain will spread to the shoulder, back and waist, and there may be severe abdominal pain in the later stage.
3. Yellowish complexion
When liver function is abnormal, bilirubin in the body will not be able to metabolize normally, and a large amount of bilirubin will accumulate in the body and flow to the whole body with blood circulation, which will manifest as abnormal yellow staining of the skin and sclera, and urine will also be yellow.
4. Spider nevi appear
Spider nevi generally appear on the head and face, chest, shoulders and other positions, the center of the mole has a bulge, and there are small web-like blood vessels radiating around it, which looks like a spider. Press the center point with your hand and the entire mole will disappear and will reappear after the pressure is removed.
5. Systemic symptoms
Some patients will have systemic symptoms such as fatigue, fatigue, dizziness, and fever before diagnosis, but these symptoms can also be easily mistaken for other conditions.
It should be noted that the symptoms on the body are not necessarily caused by liver cancer, and what you need to do after discovering the symptoms is to seek medical attention in time, so as not to have too much psychological burden to scare yourself. At the same time, it is recommended to have regular physical examinations, which can detect abnormalities in the body in time and achieve early detection and early treatment.
3. Liver cancer is made! Three kinds of liver-damaging foods should be removed from the table as soon as possible
The occurrence of liver cancer has a lot to do with some daily bad dietary Xi, and these foods advise you not to eat again, for the sake of liver health.
1. Freshwater sashimi
Once ingested with food with liver flukes, it will parasitize in the liver, resulting in bile duct obstruction, bile retention, and further development will evolve into cholangitis, gallstones, and even liver cancer.
2. Moldy food
Moldy food is likely to contain aflatoxin, which is highly toxic and carcinogenic, and can have a destructive effect on the liver when it enters the body, significantly increasing the risk of primary liver cancer.
3. High-fat foods
Excessive intake of high-fat foods will increase the accumulation of fat in the liver, which will increase the burden on the liver, increase the risk of fatty liver and hepatitis, and may evolve into liver failure and liver cancer without timely intervention.
Liver cancer has a very high incidence rate in the mainland, and we must pay sufficient attention to this, and the prevention of liver cancer must start by changing the habits Xi bad life.
Resources:
[1] "The "main culprit" of liver cancer in mainland China, nearly 85% of primary liver cancers are caused by it. Liver Cancer Online 2021-08-19
[2] "When these 6 symptoms appear, is liver cancer notifying you?hepatobiliary doctor: these 6 words are the key". Tencent News 2021-10-13
[3] "Nearly Half of the World's Liver Cancer is in China!Doctor: People Who Love These 3 Foods Are Most Likely to Be Targeted by Liver Cancer, Shut Up!". Family Doctor 2022-12-10
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