5 reasons why Vietnamese people get and die from liver cancer, the 4th highest in the world

Notably, the incidence of liver cancer in Vietnam ranks 4th out of 185 countries and territories with cancer data. On average, 23.2 out of 100,000 Vietnamese people have liver cancer.

With this rate, Vietnam is only behind Mongolia (93.7/100,000 people), Egypt (32.2), and Gambia (23.9). The 5th and 6th positions belong to Laos (22.4) and Cambodia (21.8), respectively, and the 8th position belongs to Thailand (21).

China ranked 9th with a rate of 18.3/100,000 people, South Korea ranked 10th (17.3), Singapore ranked 20th (12.3), Philippines ranked 23rd (12.5), Myanmar ranked 30th (10.1), Japan ranked 49th with a rate of 7.6/100,000 people, Indonesia ranked 50th (7.6), Malaysia ranked 64th (6.3)...

Regarding the mortality rate due to liver cancer, Vietnam continues to rank 4th with a rate of 23.2/100,000 people, after Mongolia, Egypt and Gambia.

According to 2018 data, in Vietnam, if both sexes are counted, liver cancer is the most common cancer with more than 25,000 new cases (accounting for 15.4%), followed by lung cancer (14.4%), stomach cancer (10.6%), breast cancer, and colon cancer.

Notably, there are approximately 25,000 deaths from liver cancer each year in our country, showing that this is the type of cancer with the highest mortality rate and a very low cure rate.

If only counting men, each year Vietnam has more than 19,500 cases of liver cancer (accounting for 21.5% of all cancer cases in men).

The incidence of liver cancer has increased rapidly over the past 20 years. In 2000, the number of new cases of liver cancer in Vietnam was only 5,700, then increased to 9,400 in 2010.

Top 5 causes of liver cancer

Dr. Pham The Anh, Head of the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, K Hospital, said that liver cancer is difficult to screen and detect early because in the early stages, the symptoms of the disease are often vague and patients pay little attention to it. Of which, 80% of liver cancers are primary hepatocellular carcinoma (accounting for 80%).

There are 5 main causes of liver cancer, making Vietnamese people have the 4th highest incidence and mortality rate in the world:

Cirrhosis

Eighty percent of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have cirrhosis, so risk factors for cirrhosis are also considered risk factors for HCC.

Normally, the liver is brown, soft, smooth, and weighs 1.2-1.5kg. When cirrhosis occurs, the liver turns pale yellow, its mass decreases, liver tissue is replaced by fibrous tissue, scars, the liver becomes hard, and the surface is rough due to raised tumors.

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C

With liver cancer, the leading cause has been identified as hepatitis B or C virus. These are two types of viruses that cause chronic infections, considered "silent killers" that lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Over 80% of liver cancer patients are due to progression from hepatitis B virus, about 5% of liver cancer patients are determined to be due to hepatitis C virus.

According to the latest data, Vietnam has about 20 million people infected with hepatitis B (15 million) and C viruses, of which about 8 million people are suffering from hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, among the highest rates in the region and the world.

It is worth mentioning that both hepatitis B and hepatitis C progress very silently, usually when the disease enters a severe stage (cirrhosis, liver cancer) the disease will have clearer symptoms. Of which, to date there is still no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.

Ale

Regular alcohol consumption is an important cause of cirrhosis. Alcoholic cirrhosis accounts for about 15% of HCC cases.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies alcohol as a level 1 carcinogen. It is the direct cause of 7 common types of cancer including: Mouth, esophagus, larynx, breast, liver, colon, and stomach.

The most obvious harmful effect of alcohol is damage to liver cells, causing cirrhosis, leading to liver cancer.

Iron overload

Hemochromatosis, hereditary tyrosinemia, and chronic active autoimmune hepatitis are causes of cirrhosis and significantly increase the risk of developing HCC.

In addition, other factors for which there is less convincing evidence include aflatoxin B1 poisoning (secreted from Aspergillus fungus), androgenic steroids, thorotrast (contrast agent), oral contraceptives, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.