How to achieve early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer Liver cancer usually refers to primary liver cancer, according to the data of World Health Organization (WHO), the global incidence of liver cancer is increasing year by year, with more than 740,000 new cases each year, ranking fifth among all malignant tumors, and nearly 700,000 deaths due to liver cancer each year, ranking second in tumor-related morbidity and mortality. In China, primary liver cancer is more common, with more than 400,000 new patients and 370,000 deaths each year. Although the malignancy of primary liver cancer is so high, most patients are already in the middle and late stages when they are diagnosed, losing the best time for treatment, so early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer is quite important. The concept of early stage liver cancer Currently, there are many international standards for clinicopathological staging and prognosis of liver cancer, and BCLC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer) staging is the most commonly used standard, according to which, early stage liver cancer refers to single tumor nodule diameter ≤5cm, or the number of tumors ≤3, each diameter ≤3cm, without vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis, and liver function If the diameter of a single nodule is <2cm and the liver function is normal, it is also called very early stage liver cancer. The Liver Cancer Committee of China Anti-Cancer Association defines liver cancer with diameter ≤5cm as small liver cancer. This concept is not fully equivalent to early liver cancer, because some small liver cancers have already developed vascular invasion or micro metastases, and the treatment effect of such tumors is not good. Those people are prone to liver cancer Although the etiology of liver cancer is not completely clear, it has been confirmed that it is closely related to the following factors: 1. Hepatitis virus infection: There are more than 120 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) and about 40 million hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected people in China. The relationship between hepatitis B virus and liver cancer is much closer. Although alcohol consumption is not a direct cause of liver cancer, if hepatitis patients drink a lot of alcohol, it will promote the occurrence and progress of liver cancer, especially those who have been drinking alcohol for a long time. Recently, it is also found that fatty liver caused by alcohol can also develop liver cancer. 3.Environment and diet: unclean drinking water, long-term consumption of moldy and nitrosamine-containing food and poor sanitation are also important factors that promote liver cancer. How to detect early liver cancer There are no symptoms in the early stage of liver cancer, and it is too late to seek medical treatment after symptoms appear, so early detection is the only way to get more effective treatment. The development of modern medical diagnostic methods, especially imaging technology, has enabled more early stage liver cancer to be detected, which has improved the overall cure rate of liver cancer patients. According to the "Expert Consensus on Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer" and the "Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer" of the Ministry of Health, the high-risk groups of liver cancer include people with HBV and HCV infections, liver cirrhosis caused by various reasons, long-term alcoholism and family history of liver cancer. (If elevated AFP or "occupying lesions" in the liver are detected, more accurate CT and MRI examinations should be used. Of course, many people are concerned about liver cancer when liver nodules are found during physical examinations. These benign lesions are not cancerous, but it should be noted that liver cancer should not be misdiagnosed as other benign lesions, and benign liver nodules should be reviewed regularly. How to properly treat early liver cancer For early liver cancer, radical treatment methods should be chosen, including surgical resection, liver transplantation, ablation, etc. Currently, the 5-year survival rate of early liver cancer after treatment is 50-70%. How to choose the most suitable treatment method for early liver cancer patients through multidisciplinary and comprehensive treatment means to prolong the survival time and improve the quality of life is the most important concern of clinicians. We believe that clinically, the appropriate initial treatment should be selected based on the patient's liver function, tumor size, number and location, the technical strength of each medical unit and the patient's willingness, and other comprehensive considerations. For single hepatocellular carcinoma located deep in the liver with diameter <2 cm, local ablation therapy can achieve similar efficacy as surgical resection, and liver transplantation is suitable for those patients with poor liver function. The prevention of liver cancer is especially important. More than two thousand years ago, the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine of China proposed that "the upper doctor treats the untreated disease, the middle doctor treats the desired disease, and the lower doctor treats the existing disease", and the primary prevention of liver cancer is to prevent various susceptible factors of liver cancer. 1.Control of virus infection and progress: China has included hepatitis B vaccine as part of children's immunization program to prevent hepatitis B and, to some extent, liver cancer; for those who have been infected with hepatitis B virus and are in chronic hepatitis, appropriate antiviral treatment can also reduce the occurrence of liver cancer. 2.Limit alcohol: especially advise chronic hepatitis B patients not to continue to drink alcohol, as the hepatitis virus and alcohol damage in a two-pronged approach, the liver will have to strike completely sooner or later. 3.Improve living habits: do not eat moldy food, actively treat fatty liver, regular healthy diet, proper physical exercise, improve body resistance, and keep away from tumor completely.