Can hepatitis B lead to liver cancer?

Written by Si Li Li

Gastroenterology

Updated on December 28, 2024

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Hepatitis B can cause chronic infection in the body, which may damage liver cells and potentially lead to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Therefore, in cases of hepatitis B virus infection, it is necessary to regularly check liver function and hepatitis B virus DNA. If abnormal transaminase levels are found, timely liver-protective and enzyme-lowering treatments should be administered. If the hepatitis B virus DNA reaches a certain level, antiviral treatment should be initiated to potentially slow the progression of hepatitis B developing into liver cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Additionally, carriers of the hepatitis B virus or patients with hepatitis B should take care to rest adequately, avoid excessive fatigue and staying up late, abstain from alcohol, and maintain a light, digestible diet.

Other Voices

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Written by Luo Han Ying

Endocrinology

57sec

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Can pain around the belly button be liver cancer?

The tissues around the navel are primarily intestinal tissues. The outer ring is the large intestine, and close to the navel is mainly the small intestine. If there is pain around the navel that feels like pulling or bloating, and it relieves after defecation, then it is generally enteritis. The liver, on the other hand, is located in the upper right part of the abdomen, below the rib margin. If pain occurs in this area, the possibility of liver cancer is high, and the two types of pain are completely different. Pain around the navel is mainly pulling pain, and it is not very severe; whereas liver pain is primarily bloating pain, which is very severe, and general medications cannot alleviate it. Therefore, pain around the navel is unlikely to be liver cancer.

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Written by Yan Chun

Oncology

1min 14sec

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Should the gallbladder be removed in the early stage of liver cancer?

Whether early-stage liver cancer patients need to have their gallbladder removed depends on the location of the tumor. For liver cancers located close to the gallbladder, gallbladder removal is generally necessary. For liver cancer lesions that are farther from the gallbladder, it is usually sufficient to only remove the liver tumor, or to perform a resection of the local liver segment or sub-segment. Additionally, for early-stage liver cancer patients to undergo surgery, certain conditions must be met: the tumor must be five centimeters or smaller, there should be no cancerous thrombus in the main trunk of the portal vein, the liver cancer tumor should not involve the semi-dry or full-dry circumstances, and the liver function should be compensatory. Under these conditions, an effort should be made to perform liver tumor resection. Generally, cancers located in the left lobe of the liver require local resection, either of a liver segment or sub-segment, and sometimes resection of the liver lobe may be performed. Tumors located in the right lobe of the liver or the hepatic portal area require local tumor resection.

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Written by Yan Chun

Oncology

1min 18sec

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Do early-stage liver cancer patients experience fatigue?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not exhibit symptoms of fatigue, which are more commonly seen in patients with mid to late-stage liver cancer. The clinical symptoms of early-stage liver cancer are generally not typical, with a minority of patients experiencing reduced appetite and discomfort or mild pain in the liver area. Furthermore, early-stage liver cancer is often discovered during physical examinations or incidentally. Fatigue in liver cancer patients is mostly due to hypoalbuminemia, moderate to severe anemia, or toxic side effects caused by certain anticancer treatments. Hypoalbuminemia occurs because the growth of liver cancer consumes a large amount of protein, and liver dysfunction leads to insufficient synthesis of both protein and glycogen, resulting in malnutrition in patients. After experiencing weight loss, patients often show signs of fatigue. The pathological changes in liver cancer can lead to moderate to severe anemia, which, in turn, significantly contributes to fatigue. Additionally, some medications used in treating liver cancer can cause fatigue due to their toxic side effects.

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Written by Sun Wei

Surgical Oncology

46sec

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Does primary liver cancer have a genetic basis?

Primary liver cancer is generally not certain to be hereditary, but it may be somewhat related to genetics. For example, there are often phenomena of family and regional clustering of liver cancer. Current research believes that primary liver cancer, commonly referred to as liver cancer, is the result of a combination of factors, closely associated with hepatitis virus infection, aflatoxin infection, and contaminated drinking water. Common scenarios include hepatitis B virus infection leading to hepatitis B followed by cirrhosis, which can further develop into primary liver cancer. Also, long-term alcohol abuse leading to alcoholic cirrhosis can also result in liver cancer.

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Written by Yan Chun

Oncology

1min 35sec

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Will people with early-stage liver cancer experience weight loss?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer generally do not experience weight loss; weight loss is more commonly a clinical manifestation in patients with late-stage liver cancer. The reason for weight loss in liver cancer patients is due to the damage caused by cancerous tissue to liver function, leading to reduced synthesis of albumin. Furthermore, patients with liver cancer often experience a significant decrease in food intake, resulting in insufficient intake of nutrients such as albumin. Additionally, the progression of liver cancer tumors requires the consumption of a large amount of the body's albumin. Therefore, due to these factors, many patients with late-stage liver cancer exhibit clinical manifestations of weight loss. Moreover, besides not experiencing weight loss, patients with early-stage liver cancer also do not typically present with typical clinical symptoms. Many patients are asymptomatic, and as the lesion progresses, the cancer spreads, possibly leading to clinical manifestations associated with tumor spread. For example, pain in the liver area, a significant decrease in food intake, fatigue, fever, pain, and some patients may also exhibit symptoms of metastasis such as headaches, vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal distension.