Patient N.T. B. D (24 years old, Linh Xuan ward, Ho Chi Minh City), about two months before being admitted to the hospital, only occasionally felt a dull pain in the lower sternum and right hypochondrium. Although the pain was mild and not accompanied by abnormal digestive symptoms or weight loss, the patient felt anxious due to prolonged dull pain, so she went to Linh Xuan General Clinic for examination. Here, the doctor discovered abnormal damage to the left liver through abdominal ultrasound, so he advised her to go to the hospital for in-depth examination.
On February 9, Ms. D came to Thu Duc General Hospital for examination. Blood tests recorded that the patient was infected with hepatitis B virus, and the AFP index (an important marker in liver cancer screening) was high, showing a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HEC). Abdominal CT scan images with contrast also recorded lesions consistent with liver tumors, thinking too much about HEC.
From the above results, the hospital conducted a multi-specialized consultation with the participation of general surgery, oncology and diagnostic imaging doctors. The professional council unanimously decided to indicate left liver resection surgery to remove lesions and reduce the risk of severe disease progression.
After being fully consulted, Ms. D talked to her family and on March 17 was admitted to the hospital to prepare for surgery. The surgery lasted more than two hours, according to BSCKII Mai Hoa - Deputy Director of Thu Duc General Hospital, after surgery, the patient recovered stably: able to eat and drink, no fever and able to walk from the early post-operative days...
According to BS.CKI Nguyen Le Phu - Department of General Surgery, Thu Duc General Hospital, patient D's case shows a trend of liver cancer becoming increasingly younger. He said: "Patients infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis are at high risk of liver cancer, but because they are in early stages, there are very few symptoms or vague symptoms. Adherence to treatment after hepatitis virus detection, periodic health checks to monitor disease progression as well as early detection of suspected lesions helps orient and treat early, bringing high treatment efficiency and reducing costs.
The doctor also warned that if not diagnosed and operated on early, the liver tumor could grow larger, spread to the remaining liver and metastasize to other organs. At that time, the possibility of radical treatment will be significantly reduced, the treatment process becomes more complex, more costly and potentially risky.
From this case, doctors recommend that people maintain the habit of regular health check-ups twice a year. For people in high-risk groups such as hepatitis B, C or cirrhosis, liver ultrasound and blood tests every 3-6 months are extremely necessary. When suspicious signs appear, in-depth diagnostic imaging techniques such as CT Scan or MRI will help accurately identify lesions and provide appropriate treatment directions.
