What are the preventive measures for liver cancer?

  Primary prevention: i.e. etiological prevention 1. Vaccination: Vaccination is the most practical and cost-effective method, mainly hepatitis B vaccination. Some studies show that universal hepatitis B vaccination can effectively reduce the rate of hepatitis B virus surface antigen carriage from 10% to 1.3% after 10 years. And the incidence of liver cancer was significantly reduced after 16 years.  2.Treatment of chronic hepatitis: For patients with chronic viral hepatitis and indications for antiviral therapy, active antiviral therapy should be carried out. Interferon therapy can reduce the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with viral hepatitis B and C. Combined Chinese and Western medicine anti-fibrosis treatment can delay, block or even partially reverse liver fibrosis and early cirrhosis, and thus may also reduce the occurrence of liver cancer.  3.Anti-mold water change: aflatoxin is 75 times stronger than the recognized carcinogens nitrosamines, the toxin can induce liver cancer in humans, monkeys, rats and poultry. The minimum time required for carcinogenesis is 24 weeks. Aflatoxin-producing fungi mainly grow in the humid tropics and subtropics, can make corn, peanuts and other food mold, so avoid eating these moldy food. Prevent fungal contamination of food to pay attention to: First, the home collection of peanuts, corn, dried white potatoes, rice, etc. must be dried and stored in a dry and ventilated environment. Second, moldy peanuts, dried potatoes, dried radish, etc. should be discarded, human and animal poultry can not eat.  Secondary prevention: early detection and early treatment Some scholars divide the natural course of liver cancer into 4 stages: First, early subclinical stage. From the occurrence of cancer to the establishment of subclinical liver cancer diagnosis, the time is about 10 months, without any symptoms and difficult to be detected by imaging.  Second, subclinical stage. From subclinical hepatocellular carcinoma to the appearance of symptoms, generally about 10 months, often detected by imaging, at this time, if it can be diagnosed early and surgically removed, the 5-year survival rate can reach 60%-70%.  Third, intermediate stage. From the appearance of symptoms to jaundice, ascites or distant metastasis, about 4 months.  Fourth, late stage. That is, from the appearance of jaundice, ascites or distant metastasis to death, about 2 months. The total course of liver cancer is about 2.5 years, of which 2 years are in the early stage without symptoms, and once symptoms appear, there may be only 6 months of survival time.  Regular methotrexate and ultrasound tests for patients with chronic liver disease can help detect liver cancer at an early stage. Once diagnosed, a reasonable treatment plan should be selected according to the size, location, presence of metastasis inside and outside the liver and the patient’s general condition.  At present, surgical resection is still considered the most effective means. Transhepatic artery catheter chemotherapy and embolization, ultrasound-guided intra-tumor injection of anhydrous ethanol or radiofrequency and microwave therapy are also effective means to prolong the survival of patients. Other adjuvant and comprehensive treatments can help improve the quality of life of patients. Regular physical examinations for high-risk groups are done to achieve early detection and treatment.  For early stage liver cancer, especially those found in physical examination, the scope of liver cancer is not large and cirrhosis is not very serious, we strive for early surgical resection. At present, early surgical resection of liver cancer is the most effective treatment measure, and some of them are operated again after recurrence, so that a large proportion of patients can survive for a long time. If large hepatocellular carcinoma or multiple hepatocellular carcinoma cannot be resected, interventional treatment is the first choice, and some patients can be surgically resected again after one or two interventional treatments.  For small hepatocellular carcinoma (within 3-5 cm in diameter) or poorly located hepatocellular carcinoma with obvious cirrhosis that is not suitable for surgery, radiofrequency ablation therapy can be used, and local alcohol injection can also be used.  In recent years, due to the development of liver transplantation, some patients are treated with allogeneic liver transplantation, which is a blessing for patients with end-stage liver disease and some liver cancers. Postoperatively, both quality of life and survival are superior to other methods. Liver transplantation is currently recognized as the most ideal and effective treatment for small liver cancer (less than 3-5 cm) in the world.  Tertiary prevention: rehabilitation prevention For patients who cannot be operated or after surgery, rehabilitation treatment is strived for. These patients can be treated with radiotherapy or Chinese herbal medicine or immunotherapy to reduce pain and improve life quality.