Q I am a 35-year-old woman and a hepatitis B carrier. While I do know that there is a vaccine for non-carriers, what about carriers like me?

Will all hepatitis B carriers eventually suffer from liver cancer?

What kind of follow-up action should I take?

Should I see the doctor frequently for liver checks or take medicine to delay or prevent the occurrence of liver cancer? Is it safe for me to have a liver detox?

A Once a person is diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, whether it is active or in carrier state, no vaccine can be given as vaccines are used to prevent a disease and not for treatment.

Individuals with chronic hepatitis B have increased risk of developing liver cancer. However, not all will get liver cancer especially if they are chronic carriers.

However, chronic carriers may develop active disease at any time without obvious symptoms initially.

It is therefore important for anyone with chronic hepatitis B to have regular six monthly check-ups with their doctors during which blood tests, including a liver function test to assess liver function for possible active disease, will be done.

Another blood test for Alpha-fetoprotein, which is a liver cancer marker, is also done.

This is to enable early detection of liver cancer as a single liver tumour of less than 5cm can be cured by modern medical therapy.

Finally, an ultrasound of the liver must be done at least every six to 12 months to enable early detection of liver cancer.

These regular follow-ups can be done at a polyclinic or by a family physician. Anti-viral treatment must be given to patients with active chronic hepatitis to decrease the risk of liver cancer. There is no scientific evidence that liver detoxification benefits the body.

In fact, for patients with chronic hepatitis, this unproven therapy may cause further liver damage.

Dr Law Ngai Moh

Dr Law Ngai Moh is a gastroenterology specialist at Raffles Hospital

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.