Why is liver cancer more common in men than in women?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Thien Quang - Internal Oncologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital

Liver cancer is everyone's fear. People with liver cancer will lead to impaired liver function, kidney failure, metastasis to other parts of the body and eventual death. So what is liver cancer? Why is liver cancer more common in men than in women? Let's find out in the article below.

The cause of liver cancer is not exactly known. However, alcoholism and smoking are major risk factors for liver cancer. People who drink alcohol and long-term stimulants will lead to cirrhosis. The stage of disease progression from cirrhosis to liver cancer is very fast if not strictly controlled. It is the popular drinking habit in Vietnam that has made our country the country with the highest rate of liver cancer in the world according to 2018 data.
Liver cancer occurs in both men and women. However, due to the habit of drinking alcohol and smoking more in men, the rate of liver cancer in men is 3 times higher than in women.
Besides the factors of drinking alcohol, smoking, liver cancer can also come from the following causes:
Hepatitis B virus The main culprit causing liver cancer is the hepatitis B virus. People infected with inflammation Hepatitis B is 200 times more likely to develop liver cancer than people who are not infected with this virus. Statistics have shown that about 81% of people with hepatitis B have liver cancer. Therefore, people with hepatitis B need to pay close attention to regular health checkups to best prevent the disease.

Cirrhosis For patients with cirrhosis who need intensive care and treatment. Because liver cancer is the next stage of cirrhosis. Therefore, people with a history of cirrhosis need to raise their awareness of their health status.
Age The older you are, the higher the risk of liver cancer. It is necessary to perform periodic health checkups, especially screening for liver cancer for men over 40 years old and women over 50 years old to be able to better prevent liver cancer.
Family history It is important to understand that liver cancer is not an inherited disease. That is, if a father, mother, brother, sister or grandparent has liver cancer, it is not true that their children are also born with liver cancer. Because the inheritance of liver cancer is called "familial set". For example, a mother with hepatitis B "transmits" the hepatitis B virus to her baby.
However, if the child is vaccinated against hepatitis B in time, even if the mother carries the hepatitis B virus, the child can be well controlled.
Dirty food Food that is not well preserved, stored in a hot and humid environment is easy to breed fungi and mold. Some fungi have the ability to produce Aflatoxin, which is a strong experimental carcinogen. Increases the risk of liver cancer.
Exposure to toxic chemicals The working environment contains substances that are toxic to the liver such as laboratories, nuclear tests ... or can mention Dioxin, the main risk factor for this disease as a result. of war left with millions of tons.

If liver cancer is detected at an early stage, the patient's health is good, then the doctor may recommend surgery. Because measures such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiotherapy are only supportive and temporary. Surgery is a highly effective method. After surgery, patients need to take care of their health in a scientific way, the ability to recover will be very fast.
The worrying thing is that most people with liver cancer are often detected at a late stage, treatment at this time will be very difficult and the effect is not high.
Treatment of late stage liver cancer often does not bring long-term results, the goal at this time is to relieve the symptoms of cancer and prolong the patient's life.
Depending on many factors such as: physical condition, health, tumor size, disease progression, ... that the doctor will perform different treatment methods such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy. ..

Early-stage liver cancer often has no obvious symptoms. Because a healthy liver usually only works 1⁄4 of its capacity. Therefore, the effects of the tumor at the beginning are very difficult to detect. Therefore, there are no obvious symptoms to recognize if cancer is in the early stages. Many patients, only discovered the disease when the tumor is too large, swollen in the abdomen, then go to the doctor. Therefore, screening for liver cancer to be able to detect the disease at an early stage is very important. Currently, Vinmec hospital is one of the medical facilities with a team of leading medical experts in the field of oncology, the most modern machinery and equipment in the region. Those will be good conditions to help the screening for early detection of liver cancer be quick, convenient and time-saving.
When registering for Vinmec's liver cancer screening and early detection package, customers will receive:
Examination and consultation with the leading oncologist in Vietnam. Assess liver function through tests such as measuring ALT activity (GPT), measuring AST activity (GOT), measuring GGT activity (Gama Glutamyl Transferase), measuring total Bilirubin. Screening for hepatitis B and C virus infection by rapid HBsAg test and Anti HCV rapid test. Screening for liver cancer through the quantitative test of AFP (Alpha Fetoproteine). Screening for liver cancer by abdominal ultrasound. As a result, liver cancer can be screened, helping to detect liver cancer at an early stage so that appropriate and timely treatment measures can be taken.