“The liver”, explains Dr. Augusto Villanueva, “is one of the most important organs in the body. It is like a factory for various proteins and coagulation factors; Substances that help the body function.
Dr. Villanueva, a professor in the Division of Liver Diseases at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, recently gave one of the Hispanic Federation’s regular online public participation lectures. In it, he also pointed out that the liver regulates metabolism, the way in which sugar is distributed in the blood, and that when there is an abnormal and uncontrolled proliferation of cells, cancer is produced, which can metastasize and cause death.
“But it is very rare”, clarifies the specialist, “for liver cancer to develop in people who have a healthy liver. Most already have underlying liver disease, such as hepatitis E and C virus infections, alcohol abuse, and more aggressive forms of fatty liver.”
Our community has high rates of liver cancer. It is estimated that in 2021, more than 7,100 Latinos and Latinas were diagnosed with liver cancer, and more than 4,100 died from the disease. Those rates are nearly double those of non-Hispanic whites.
“In the early stages of liver cancer, the chances of a cure are very high,” says Dr. Villanueva. “But liver cancer usually has no symptoms, so patients can have cancer and not know it.”
But if cancer is diagnosed early, science has many options, from surgery to organ transplantation in the early stages of cancer. In patients in more advanced stages, it is possible to try to reduce or eliminate the tumor with heat therapies or radiotherapy. And when it is very advanced, the life of the patient can be prolonged with drugs, hypnotherapy and molecular therapies.
Popular wisdom says that prevention is better than cure. And Dr. Augusto Villanueva fully agrees with that.
“The best way to prevent liver cancer,” he says, “is to prevent liver disease. Risk factors are treatable. Hepatitis C virus can be cured. Regarding fatty liver there are also interventions and measures to prevent the progression of liver disease. What you have to do is take care of the liver leading a healthy life; trying not to eat too much saturated fat; if you are diabetic, control that disease; do not consume alcohol in excess; and do physical exercises regularly.
And in addition to all that, I add, consult your doctor periodically, especially if you have high blood pressure, hepatitis, high blood sugar levels, or if you have drunk or drink more than recommended.
To learn more about the Hispanic Federation, call our bilingual line at 1-866-HF-AYUDA, or 1-866-432-9832.
They can also visit http://www.hispanicfederation.org, or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Let’s celebrate together the 32nd anniversary of the Hispanic Federation, and until the next column!
Frankie Miranda is the president of the Hispanic Federation
eldiariony.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.