What’s a leading cause of liver cancer—and how can I protect myself against it?
Imagine this: You’re in line at the grocery store to check out with your nutritional shakes (you’ve not had much of an appetite) when you get a call from your primary care provider, who you saw last week for your annual checkup.
It turns out your loss of appetite and fatigue isn’t just stress, like you’ve been telling yourself. The results of your routine blood work are back—your liver labs are off, and they want you to come in for additional discussion. Soon, you’ll receive a 肝癌 diagnosis, and later you’ll learn it was caused by hepatitis C—a virus you’ve been living with, without having any idea.
This is the story for so many liver cancer patients—but in many cases, this story could be prevented by recognizing and treating hepatitis C before liver cancer develops.
这 hepatitis C virus is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States and can cause hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer. The good news is that, unlike other viruses that can cause cancer (such as 人乳头状瘤病毒 或者 乙型肝炎), hepatitis C is curable. In addition, screening and treatment are available for the virus—so let’s learn a little more about hepatitis C and its link to cancer, the risk factors and symptoms and how to get screened.
How does hepatitis C cause cancer?
Chronic, or ongoing, hepatitis C infection increases inflammation in the liver, which can lead to scarring. Both inflammation and scarring increase the risk of liver cancer due to the ongoing and progressive damage to cells. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
What are the risk factors for hepatitis C?
You may be at increased risk for hepatitis C if you:
- 在工作中接触血液。
- 出生于 1945 年至 1965 年之间。
- 注射过毒品并共用过针头。
- 在 1992 年 7 月（开始对血液和器官进行丙型肝炎筛查）之前接受过输血或器官移植。
- 在没有适当的感染控制的情况下（例如使用未消毒的设备）进行了纹身或穿孔。
- 1987 年之前曾接受过血液凝固问题治疗。
- 是黑色的。
- 正在长期进行血液透析。
- 感染艾滋病病毒。
- 与受感染者发生过未使用安全套的性行为。
- 出生时被指定为男性，并与出生时被指定为男性的其他人士发生性关系。
- 父母在怀孕期间患有丙型肝炎。
What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
What complicates things is that many people may go on for years before knowing they have the virus, as the symptoms of hepatitis C can often go unnoticed or be misdiagnosed as something else.
Symptoms can be unclear and may start faintly and progress over time. They include:
- Jaundice or yellowing of the skin and eyes; this often starts unpronounced, making it hard to notice until it is worse.
- Abdominal pain
- 疲劳
- Weight loss
- 食欲不振
- 瘙痒
- Nausea/vomiting
Early detection makes all the difference. Because the symptoms often go unnoticed, it is important to know your risk factors 和 get screened. The earlier the virus is found and treated, the lower the chances of inflammation leading to cancer.
How do you get screened for hepatitis C?
Screening can be done by a blood test at your doctor’s office, local health department, or a health clinic.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first-ever point-of-care test to diagnose hepatitis C infection in adults. The Cepheid Xpert HCV test, which uses a fingertip blood sample, is a new and faster way to diagnose hepatitis C. It can be especially helpful for people in rural areas where you may have to travel far for medical appointments, because you can be tested, diagnosed and connected to care and treatment all within the same visit.
If you haven’t yet been tested, talk to your health care provider about which option is right for you. Every adult age 18-79 should be tested for hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime. Also, any person who is pregnant (regardless of age), should be screened for hepatitis C.
The good news is that hepatitis C can be treated with medication if you are diagnosed, and treatment of the virus can reduce the risk of liver cancer by 75%. In most cases, treatment includes taking a pill daily over the course of two to three months.
阅读更多 | Liver disease vs. liver cancer: What’s the difference and is there a connection?
Your story is yours to write. Talk to your health care provider to check your health and stay ahead of cancer.