According to the World Health Organization's National Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), the latest data for 2020 shows that the number of new cancer cases worldwide is 19.29 million, and the number of new cancer deaths is as high as 9.96 million. One of the points worth emphasizing is that the number of new cancer cases in China is 4.57 million, and more than 3 million deaths, ranking first in both new and dead. Cancer has accompanied the human race from the beginning to the present, and about 8 million people die of cancer worldwide every year. The probability of cancer in our country is 22% in life, and the probability of death due to cancer is 13%. On average, there are about 3.12 million new cancer cases and 2.7 million deaths each year. Across the country, 6 people are diagnosed with malignant tumors every minute, and 1 in 7 people die from cancer.
Liver cancer is one of hundreds of cancers, and it is also a relatively common malignancy, which is more common in developing countries such as China, Southeast Asia, and southern Africa. According to the International Cancer Research Center (IARC), the country with the highest incidence of liver cancer in the world is China. Due to the huge population base, the number of liver cancer incidence (mortality) among residents in China accounts for more than half of all liver cancer patients in the world.
The incidence of liver cancer in China is mainly concentrated in some remote areas of China, due to factors such as living environment, health conditions and living habits, the relative prevalence is prominent, and under the restriction of medical level conditions, patients in these areas cannot receive corresponding positive diagnosis and treatment. In addition, under the influence of China's tobacco and alcohol industry and regional genetic factors, more than 50% of the world's liver cancer patients are in China.
Ancient and modern liver cancer theory
First of all, let's talk about the ancient understanding of liver cancer in China. As early as the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic", there are similar records of liver cancer, and it has been called fat, pimple and accumulation of qi in the past. For example, in the Song Dynasty's "General Records of Saint Ji", Yun: the accumulation of qi in the abdomen, not bad for a long time, firmly pushed; and in the "Theory of the Origin of Diseases": the accumulation of the spleen, known as the qi; and the "Difficult Classics" recorded: the accumulation of the liver is known as fat qi, under the left flank, such as a cup, there are head and feet. The accumulation of the spleen, known as the qi, in the stomach, the abdomen is as large as a plate, and it does not heal for a long time. The main reason is the deficiency of qi and blood in the internal organs, coupled with the internal injuries of the seven emotions, emotional depression; spleen deficiency and wet accumulation, phlegm wet condensation; the invasion of the six adulterous evil poisons, the evil coagulation and poison knots, etc. can make qi, blood, wet, hot, stasis, and poison intertwine into liver cancer.
Liver cancer is currently more common clinically, usually, refers to due to some special reasons, such as drug-induced hepatitis, viral hepatitis B, or idiopathic hepatitis and other special diseases, resulting in irreversible changes in the liver, the presence of local tumors, there are primary and secondary two categories. The former is called primary liver cancer, which is a very harmful malignant tumor; the latter is called sarcoma, which is relatively rare compared with primary liver cancer.
Why is liver cancer called the king of cancer
Liver cancer is malignant, rapidly developing, short-lived, and prone to recurrence, and the survival of liver cancer in liver cancer patients, which we also call the prognosis of liver cancer, is related to many factors. But overall, liver cancer survival is the least desirable of all tumors. In addition, the symptoms of early liver cancer patients are not prominent, which leads to many patients with liver cancer, most of whom have developed to the middle and advanced stages of liver cancer when diagnosed.
In general, primary liver cancer mainly has the following symptoms: pain in the liver area, bloating, loss of appetite, fatigue, emaciation, progressive swelling and abdominal lumps, etc., but because the liver is located in a relatively hidden position, so the early symptoms are not very obvious, and its development rate is much faster than that of general malignant tumor patients. Advanced cancer treatment is very tricky, and many advanced cancer patients are also accompanied by other parts of the spread and metastasis, after treatment is also very easy to relapse and metastasis, once the recurrence or metastasis, re-treatment will be more difficult, and eventually may threaten the patient's life. Therefore, liver cancer deserves to be crowned the king of cancer.
Treatment and prevention of liver cancer
Principles of treatment of liver cancer: chemotherapy, interventional therapy and surgery, liver transplantation and other comprehensive treatment. Surgery is the first choice for the treatment of liver cancer, and it can also be done for donor liver transplantation, targeted drug therapy, traditional Chinese medicine conditioning therapy, biological therapy, and interventional chemotherapy therapy. Surgical methods include: radical hepatic resection, palliative hepatic resection, etc. For liver cancer that cannot be resected, according to the specific situation, the treatment of intraoperative hepatic artery ligation, hepatic artery chemotherapy embolization, radiofrequency, freezing, laser, microwave and so on has a certain effect.
However, most of the liver cancer that can be cured is found in the early and medium terms, and many patients often find liver cancer in the late stage, so the focus of the disease is not on treatment, but on prevention. There are many causes of liver cancer, the most important of which is bad living habits. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol, eat healthy, avoid staying up late, work and rest regularly, and maintain a good mood at the same time, so as to reduce liver cancer!
Finally, I hope that everyone will not overdraft their own bodies, cherish their bodies, stay away from various diseases, have a healthy body, and have a happy life.
I am Dr. Bobo, if you have health-related questions, you can pay attention to my private message consultation, thank you!
(Author: Wu Xilong, School of Public Health, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
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