Before reading this article, I sincerely invite you to click "Follow", which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also to share more professional health knowledge with you, so as to escort your health, thank you for your support.
In the dim corridor of the hospital, Lao Liu was kneeling on the ground, tears wetting his thinning beard on his face.
The 61-year-old man had just learned from the doctor that he was suffering from liver cancer. The doctor's words still echoed in his ears: "If you had noticed those pain and abnormalities in your back earlier, we might have intervened earlier." ”
Lao Liu is a retired railroad worker who has spent most of his life on railroad tracks and trains. His rough hands have witnessed countless hard nights and hot days.
The pain in Lao Liu's back was not serious at first, and it could even be said to be insignificant. At first, he thought it was just ordinary muscle aches, because as he got older, there were always various discomforts in his body.
Lao Liu still didn't take it to heart, and always felt that "when I am old, the pain points and pain points are normal", and this neglect directly led to the delay of the disease.
So, why is Lao Liu's back pain a warning of liver cancer? When the tumor on the liver develops to a certain stage, it may significantly increase the size of the liver. This enlargement often puts pressure on adjacent structures in the body, and may even extend the tumor to the capsule of the liver, which may trigger a nearby nerve response and cause pain.
Thus, although the liver itself does not feel pain, the patient may experience significant discomfort from the liver area, which sometimes spreads to the back or right shoulder. This suggests that the pain we feel may not be directly due to the internal organs themselves, but rather due to the reaction of the surrounding tissues or nerves caused by the internal organs.
In Lao Liu's case, this reflex pain was misinterpreted by him as an ordinary muscle problem. In medicine, it is extremely important for early screening of liver cancer.
For individuals with high-risk factors, such as chronic hepatitis virus infection or cirrhosis, regular liver ultrasound and serum alpha-fetoprotein testing are recommended for early detection of liver cancer. However, Lao Liu ignored these "tips" and failed to carry out these inspections in time.
Lao Liu's doctor, Dr. Zhang, is an experienced hepatologist, and he was very surprised that Lao Liu's pain had been ignored for so long. Dr Teo explains that people often underestimate the serious problems that can be hidden behind everyday pain.
"You see, Lao Liu, liver cancer may not have many symptoms in the early stages, but some atypical symptoms, such as your back pain, may actually be an early warning of liver cancer. We should be more mindful of these seemingly inconsequential small symptoms. ”
In patients with liver cancer, liver function often begins to be impaired early in tumor formation, and while this damage may not be enough to cause symptoms such as typical jaundice or ascites, it is enough to affect other parts of the body, such as reflex symptoms such as muscle pain.
In many cases, patients are not sensitive enough to their own physical conditions, especially when faced with seemingly ordinary symptoms.
Dr. Zhang also used some of the latest treatment options, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, when formulating a treatment plan for Lao Liu. He explained that although the treatment of liver cancer has always been a medical challenge, there have been some advances in research in recent years. For example, some specific targeted drugs have been shown to significantly improve the survival of some patients with advanced liver cancer.
During the treatment, Liu gradually learned to pay attention to his body signals and began to encourage his friends to join in the regular medical check-ups. He often recalls the consequences of his neglect, and these topics are often the talk of the town after his dinner, and he hopes that his experience will serve as a warning to more people.
During a follow-up visit, Lao Liu asked Dr. Zhang, "Dr. Zhang, does my back pain mean that liver cancer is already very serious?"
Dr. Zhang patiently explained, "Lao Liu, your back pain is actually due to the increase in the size of your liver and the compression of the surrounding nerves. Although it is true that it is a sign of advanced liver cancer, everyone's condition is different. ”
Through Dr. Zhang's careful treatment and Lao Liu's active cooperation, Lao Liu's condition was controlled to a certain extent. Although liver cancer is a serious disease, the quality of life and time of patients have improved through the advancement of modern medicine. Lao Liu's example also reminds the people around him that they should not take any abnormal signals from the body lightly.
What do you think about the prevention of liver cancer?