I am 45 years old and have had hepatitis B for two years. Recently, I have noticed yellow skin; often have pain in the right side of my abdomen; loss of appetite, fatigue...
How to detect liver cancer early? (Tran Thanh, Vinh Phuc)
Reply:
Liver cancer is one of the five most common cancers in the world. According to the Global Cancer Organization (Globocan) in 2020, liver cancer ranks first in terms of new cases (more than 26,000 people) and deaths in Vietnam (more than 25,000 people).
Early stage liver cancer often has no obvious symptoms, making it difficult to detect or easily confused with many other diseases. However, if liver cancer is detected at this stage, it can be cured by methods such as surgery, liver transplant, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation...
In the late stages, patients may notice symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, pain and swelling in the upper right lower abdomen, ascites (enlarged abdomen), enlarged liver, jaundice, dark urine, acne, itching... Of which, jaundice, right abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite are the most common.
Some of the symptoms you are experiencing are quite similar to those of liver cancer. However, to accurately determine the disease, you should see a doctor soon. In addition, people who have signs such as pain in the liver area, fever, weight loss and other symptoms for two consecutive weeks should also be examined for timely diagnosis and treatment.
Pain in the upper right abdomen warns of liver cancer. Photo: Freepik
When the tumor is large, compresses, causes pain, and metastasizes, the body has difficulty responding effectively to treatment methods, reducing the survival rate. With large tumors or multiple tumors at the same time, the doctor may prescribe treatment with the following methods: embolization, chemical embolization, hepatic artery chemotherapy, targeted therapy drugs, immunotherapy drugs...
People with hepatitis B have a higher risk of liver cancer than normal people. This is the most common risk factor for liver cancer in the world. These people have a family history such as parents or siblings with cirrhosis or liver cancer, the risk is even higher. In addition to liver disease, other factors that increase the risk of cancer in this organ include regularly drinking a lot of alcohol, being overweight, being obese... Men often get liver cancer more than women, the older the age, the higher the risk of getting the disease.
Therefore, people with hepatitis B need to monitor, have regular health check-ups, and take medication as directed by their doctor. People with hepatitis who are screened for liver cancer every 6 months can detect cancer early for timely treatment. Methods for screening for the disease at an early stage include liver ultrasound, liver function tests, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus tests, liver cancer marker tests in the blood (eg: AFP, PIVKA-II...), and if necessary, CT scans or MRI scans.
The most basic treatment for liver cancer is radical treatment and the necessary condition is to detect the disease at an early stage. There are three factors that determine the effectiveness of liver cancer treatment: radical treatment to completely remove the liver tumor or destroy the entire tumor. Intermediate stage treatment with the aim of reducing the size of the tumor before starting radical treatment. Complementary treatment, palliative care for cases detected at a late stage. These are treatment methods that are both expensive and affect the quality of life but do not guarantee prolongation of life.
Dr. Tran Hai Binh
Deputy Head of Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital Hanoi
Readers with questions that need to be answered by a doctor can ask questions here.
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