The average survival rate of liver cancer patients at 5 years was only 40%. In order to prevent liver cancer, it is analyzed that early diagnosis and treatment of each underlying liver disease should be actively implemented.
The Korean Society of Liver Cancer announced on February 2 of the risk of liver cancer on the occasion of Liver Cancer Day.
As a result of the analysis of data on the randomized liver cancer registration project of the Liver Cancer Registration Project Committee, the Liver Cancer Society found that the proportion of patients diagnosed in stage 3 out of 1655 patients diagnosed with liver cancer from 2008 to 2014 ranged from 33.8% in 2008 to 39.4% in 2014. Said that it has increased. The rate of diagnosis in stage 4 was slight, from 6.9% in 2008 to 7.3% in 2014.
During the same period, the average survival rates of 1655 patients diagnosed with liver cancer were 49.3% and 41.9%, respectively, about half of them.
As the cause of liver cancer, hepatitis B accounted for the largest proportion with 61.1%, followed by alcohol hepatitis 12.5%, hepatitis C 10.6%, and other causes 8.4%.
Hepatitis B is the main cause of liver cancer in Korea, and the 5-year incidence of hepatitis B in patients with chronic hepatitis B without antiviral therapy is 0.6-2.4% and increases to 9.7-15.5% when cirrhosis is accompanied. Since many hepatitis B patients remain asymptomatic and progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer, early screening tests are needed to find those who have hepatitis B virus, and those with hepatitis B virus should receive periodic liver cancer surveillance tests and appropriate treatment. do.
Chronic hepatitis C has no symptoms, so many patients do not recognize the infection, and are often found in advanced conditions such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Unlike hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus has not developed a preventive vaccine until now due to various genetic mutations, but antiviral drugs have recently been developed, and most of them can be cured by taking oral antiviral drugs for 2 to 3 months.
However, since liver cirrhosis before the start of antiviral therapy was 4.5 times more frequent than that of other cases, liver cancer can be prevented by diagnosing hepatitis C before progression of cirrhosis and antiviral therapy.
Alcohol is considered one of the main causes of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer along with viral hepatitis. In particular, when chronic hepatitis B or C is accompanied, the risk of liver cancer is higher than that of non-drinkers even with a small amount of alcohol. Regardless of the type of alcohol, it is reported that the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption mainly affect the incidence of liver cancer, and it has been reported that drinking more than 3 drinks per day increases the incidence of liver cancer by 1.16 times. In alcoholic liver disease, drinking alcohol is the most important treatment.
The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has also increased rapidly in recent decades, making it the most causative disease of chronic liver disease. 60% of diabetic or obese patients over 50 years of age have non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis, which can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
When the liver deteriorates due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, when it progresses to cirrhosis or liver cancer, the fat in the liver disappears, so it is often unknown that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the cause. Liver cancer associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is closely related to metabolic syndrome, and is known to occur due to cell and gene damage progressed by chronic inflammation. However, as no effective treatment has been established, about 25% of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis patients progress to cirrhosis, and 10-25% of them are predicted to progress to liver cancer.
Liver cancer incidence decreases by 44-46% during high intensity jogging or active physical activity, and liver cancer incidence decreases by 30% for every 5kg/m2 decrease in body mass index, and liver cancer incidence is 14% by drinking a cup of coffee a day. It is known to decrease, and lifestyle improvement is required to prevent liver cancer.
The Liver Cancer Society said that early diagnosis and treatment of underlying liver disease is important to prevent liver cancer caused by various causes.
Patients with risk factors (cirrhosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C) for early diagnosis of liver cancer are emphasized to undergo liver ultrasound and AFP tests twice a year, but patients who are still diagnosed with advanced liver cancer The liver cancer society explains that the rate is high.
The Liver Cancer Society said, “If liver damage continues due to chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer occur. Eliminating liver damage through appropriate treatment can prevent liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.” “Hepatitis B and C are antiviral It is important to suppress liver damage and prevent liver cancer by controlling the treatment, alcoholic liver disease, and weight control for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.”