-Can be cured through liver resection and transplantation at early diagnosis of liver cancer… No early symptoms, early diagnosis is important
-Liver cancer, the second highest mortality rate among all cancers,’risk’… 2.9 times more incidence of liver cancer than men and women
-Risk factors are hepatitis B or C virus, alcohol… Liver cirrhosis patients, liver cancer incidence increased 1000 times
-The king of liver cancer treatment is’liver transplant’… 5-year survival rate increased to over 80% and recurrence rate decreased
-Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hepatitis Cirrhosis Chronic Liver Disease, etc… High-risk groups should have regular tests every 6 months.
February 2 is the day of liver cancer. It was established by the Korean Liver Cancer Society in 2017 to promote the risk of liver cancer and the importance of liver cancer screening. It contains the meaning of diagnosing liver cancer at an early stage and receiving appropriate treatment by regularly receiving “2” and “2” tests a year. The two tests are liver ultrasound and serum alpha-fetoprotein test (blood test).
If liver cancer is diagnosed early, it can be expected to be cured through liver resection and liver transplantation. However, about 70% of domestic patients are found in a state where liver cancer has already progressed considerably. This is because the liver does not send a danger signal even if 70-80% of the liver is attacked by viruses, alcohol, fat, and drugs.
Young-cheol Yoon, a professor of hepatobiliary surgery at the Catholic University’s Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, said, “The liver, called the silent organ, is often found after the disease progresses without our knowledge and deteriorates beyond our control.” Patients with existing hepatitis B or C virus, or alcoholic cirrhosis, need special attention as they can worsen liver cancer.”
Liver cancer mortality rate is second highest among all cancers after lung cancer
A healthy liver is located in the upper right abdomen and is protected from the ribs. It weighs 1200-1500g, and it is the largest organ in our body with a dark red elongated triangle shape.
The liver plays an important role in maintaining the basic functions of our body and protecting life from harmful substances from the outside so that it is called the’human energy management center’. Food absorbed in the intestine is properly transformed and stored into various nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, etc., while glucose, amino acids, glycerin, and lactic acid are stored as polysaccharides called glycogen and processed into substances that the body needs. It is also responsible for carrying the sun to the cells of the body.
In addition, the liver detoxifies the body by making bile acids so that a large amount of proteins, enzymes, and vitamins required by the body can be synthesized in the intestine, albumin that prevents swelling in the body, or prothrombin, which is involved in blood clotting. It is also the role of the liver to make gamma globulin, an antibody, to help smooth the immune function of our body through sterilization of blood.
According to data from the National Cancer Information Center, the number of newly diagnosed liver cancer patients in Korea in 2017 was 15,055, the 6th largest among all cancers. It accounts for 6.6% of the total. The mortality rate is more serious. In the mortality rate by cancer type, liver cancer per 100,000 population was 20.7, ranking second after lung cancer of 34.8. By gender, it was 2.9:1, which was more common in men.
The major risk factors for liver cancer are hepatitis B virus (72%), hepatitis C virus (12%), and alcohol (9%). In addition, drugs, obesity, and autoimmunity can also be the cause (risk factors for liver cancer, Korean Liver Cancer Association, 2014). In particular, it is known that infection with hepatitis B virus increases the risk of liver cancer by about 100 times and the number of people infected with hepatitis C virus by 10 times. In addition, the longer the duration of hepatitis, the greater the risk of liver cancer. In particular, the presence or absence of cirrhosis has a great influence on the incidence of liver cancer. In 80% of patients with liver cancer, cirrhosis precedes liver cirrhosis, and the incidence of liver cancer increases by about 1000 times or more.
Professor Yoon Young-cheol said, “The most common cause of liver cancer is the hepatitis B virus. In addition, hepatitis C virus, hepatitis caused by excessive drinking, severe fatty liver, etc. can be the cause. “Chronic liver damage occurs, and the immune reaction accompanying the inflammatory reaction is repeated, and liver fibrosis progresses, severe chronic He said hepatitis or liver cirrhosis increases the chance of developing liver cancer.”
In order to cure liver cancer,’liver transplant’ is the best…
5-year survival rate increased to over 80%
Symptoms of liver cancer are almost absent at the beginning and then appear gradually. When symptoms become apparent, they are in most cases already in progress. Even if the liver level becomes very high due to hepatitis, even if the liver becomes smaller due to liver cirrhosis, even if liver cancer occurs and the liver is large, there are often no symptoms at all. However, when the size of liver cancer increases and invades lymph glands or blood vessels, symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort, severe fatigue and weakness, deterioration of liver function, jaundice and ascites may appear.
The degree of progression of liver cancer is divided into four stages depending on the size of the tumor, whether the tumor has invaded blood vessels, and whether it has metastasized to other organs.
If it is judged that the patient’s liver function and health condition can be thoroughly examined and treatment can be entered, liver resection in which a part of the liver with cancer is removed or liver transplantation in which the entire liver of the patient is removed and a healthy liver is transplanted are performed.
In addition, there are treatments such as high-frequency heat treatment and ethanol infusion. High-frequency heat treatment is a method of locating the tumor through imaging tests such as ultrasound, then piercing a needle through which an electric current flows, and applying heat to necrosis the tumor. Percutaneous (a needle is inserted into the skin) ethanol infusion is treated with ethanol instead of electric current. It is performed when the size of liver cancer is less than 3 cm. If the size of the cancer is small, treatment results are good enough to compare to liver resection.
Carotid artery chemoembolization, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, etc., where liver cancer is so advanced that liver resection, liver transplantation, or high-frequency heat treatment cannot be applied, and injects drugs to find arteries that supply blood to liver cancer cells and block the blood vessels. Implement.
But after all, the most reliable way to treat liver cancer is a liver transplant, which turns a diseased liver into a healthy liver. The reason is that the cancer itself can be completely removed, and all diseased livers that can cause liver cancer in the future can be removed. In addition to the 5-year survival rate compared to other treatments, the 10-year and 20-year survival rates are also overwhelmingly high.
There are two main types of liver transplantation. ▲First,’pre-brain-dead liver transplant’, which transfers and attaches the entire liver of a brain-dead person. ▲Second,’live part liver transplant’, which partially excises and transplants the liver of a living person (living person) donor. If brain death donation is activated, liver transplantation can be avoided. However, since brain death donation is not activated in Korea, more biotransplantation is inevitable.
In vivo liver transplantation is of the utmost importance to minimize complications in liver donors. Because donors are healthy people, not patients. Recently, laparoscopic surgery has been applied in which only a few holes are drilled in the stomach to relieve the burden of surgery on liver donors who provide a healthy liver.
Prof. Yoon Young-cheol said, “Our country has a very good regular checkup system for patients with liver disease, so if you pay little attention, you can detect cancer early.” “Almost all liver cancers occur in patients with liver disease. Liver cancer is not a terrifying disease if patients receive regular checkups.” He then emphasized, “If organ donation is activated through national sympathy for brain death donation and supplementation of the national system, we think that it will be possible to create a healthier society by actively implementing liver transplantation in patients with liver cancer or liver disease.”
Important to prevent hepatitis B·C…
High-risk groups should have regular tests every 6 months.
In order to prevent liver cancer, it is important to prevent hepatitis B or hepatitis C, which is the cause of cirrhosis. Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination. For hepatitis C, which does not have a vaccine yet, be careful of infections through blood or secretions, such as using a single needle, avoiding inappropriate sexual contact, and tattooing or piercing. Never use a group of nail clippers or razors. In addition, in order to prevent alcoholic cirrhosis, you should refrain from excessive drinking and should abstain from alcoholic liver disease.
In Korea, high-risk liver cancer patients over the age of 40 can receive a test provided by the National Health Insurance Service every 6 months. The high-risk group for liver cancer is cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus antigen positive, hepatitis C virus antibody positive, and chronic liver disease caused by hepatitis B or C virus. The screening fee may be free or a 10% copayment. You can check it by accessing the Health Insurance Corporation website and inquiring about the targets for examination. As of 2019, the screening rate for liver cancer is 73.5%. It is up 20.7%p from 52.8% in 2014.