Did you know? More than half of liver cancer risk factors can be controlled. And it’s not just from heavy alcohol consumption that causes liver cirrhosis. Reveal the risks and warning symptoms of the disease that you need to know.

Cancer statistics from the National Cancer Institute in 2013 – 2015 found that primary liver cancer (Hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC) is the most common cancer in men (34%) and the second most common in women (13%). And of course, the cancer that kills Thais the most is liver cancer. According to data from 2021, more than 27,000 Thais are sick with liver cancer per year and 26,000 people or 96.3 percent die from this type of cancer per year, which is a very high number!

Most patients are diagnosed at the age of 40-70 years. Since the symptoms of liver cancer are often non-specific and the disease progresses rapidly, doctors diagnose patients when symptoms are severe, resulting in poor treatment results. As a result, ufabet http://ufabet999.app it is considered the number 1 cause of death in Thailand.

What causes liver cancer?

Chronic hepatitis B

Approximately 60 percent of liver cancer in Thais is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection. There are approximately 6 million Thais infect with the hepatitis B virus. Patients with high levels of hepatitis B virus are more likely to develop hepatitis and cirrhosis, and have a high chance of developing liver cancer, which is as high as 3-8% per year. Therefore, they should be check regularly. Currently, there is an effective antiviral treatment that can help reduce the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Chronic hepatitis C infection

It is the most common cause in Western countries. In Thailand, it is found to be the cause of 10-20 percent of liver cancer. People who are at risk include people with a history of intravenous drug injection, people who received blood before 1989, or people who pierce/tattoo their bodies with unclean needles, which increases the chance of getting hepatitis C into their bodies. Hepatitis C infection causes patients to have chronic hepatitis, develop liver fibrosis, and become cirrhosis, which results in abnormal liver function. Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. You can be cured and reduce your risk of liver cancer.

Cirrhosis from various causes

For example, regular alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease, etc. This group of patients often have higher than normal liver enzymes (AST, ALT) from chronic hepatitis, causing the liver function to deteriorate gradually until cirrhosis and chronic liver failure occur. Patients often have yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), ascites from fluid in the abdomen, and brain symptoms from liver failure. This group of patients also has a high risk of developing liver cancer. Therefore, it is the origin that patients with cirrhosis should be screened. With abdominal ultrasound every 6 months.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

It is becoming more and more common as a result of people’s current habits of exercising less, eating high-calorie foods and being obese, which also results in cirrhosis and liver cancer. The number of liver cancer patients caused by this cause is increasing every year.

Early stage liver cancer often does not cause symptoms until the tumor grows larger, then the patient will start to feel uncomfortable and full in the stomach. Some patients have symptoms similar to gastritis, such as:

• Stomach ache
• Indigestion, stomach bloating
• Some people may experience pain in the right ribcage.

As it gets worse, there may be symptoms of loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss, jaundice, and ascites. At this point, even if liver cancer is diagnosed. It will be difficult to completely cure it.

Currently, there are many treatment options for liver cancer, depending on the stage of the disease, the size of the tumor, and the patient’s liver function. The doctor and the patient will jointly consider the treatment method to achieve the highest efficiency. The results of liver cancer treatment are much better than before, especially in patients who are found in the early stages, who have a chance of being cured. Therefore, regular abdominal ultrasound screening for patients at high risk of developing liver cancer is very important.

Prevention of Liver Cancer

• Screening for hepatitis B and C
• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages.
• Keep your weight within an appropriate range.
• Hepatitis A and B vaccination