According to new global research, the number of persons diagnosed with or dying from primary liver cancer annually could increase by more than 55% by 2040. In 2020, primary liver cancer was one of the top three causes of cancer death in 46 nations. The results were reported on October 5 in the Journal of Hepatology. To prevent this growth, nations must reduce the annual rate of liver cancer incidence and death by at least 3%.
According to lead author Isabelle Soerjomataram, MD, Ph.D., deputy branch head of cancer surveillance for the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, "liver cancer imposes a large burden of disease globally each year." Major risk factors for the disease include hepatitis B and C viruses, alcohol use, excess body weight, and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. If control measures are taken, it is also entirely avoidable.
The Cleveland Clinic's Bassam Estefan, MD, a hematologist and oncologist who was not involved in the study, says liver cancer is still a serious health concern around the world and that in some nations it accounts for the majority of new cancer cases and cancer deaths. He adds that in many nations with high liver cancer incidence rates, "preventing and managing liver cancer requires a worldwide effort and strong access to healthcare and treatment."
Primary liver cancer, of which hepatocellular carcinoma is the most prevalent kind, is estimated to cause 28,000 deaths annually in the United States (HCC). According to the American Cancer Society, some HCC instances start out as a single tumor that only becomes bigger over time, eventually spreading to other areas of the liver.
The most prevalent pattern in the United States is a second form that manifests as numerous small cancer nodules all over the liver, which is most frequently found in persons with cirrhosis (chronic liver disease).
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| Global Rates of Liver Cancer Could Rise by More Than 50 Percent by 2040 |
2020 Will See More Than 900,000 Liver Cancer Diagnoses
Investigators used data on primary liver cancer cases and deaths from the GLOBOCAN 2020 database, which generates estimates of cancer incidence and mortality for 36 cancer types in 185 nations worldwide, to estimate the global burden of liver cancer and predict the number of cases and deaths in 2040. Using demographic predictions from the UN, it was calculated how the number of cancer cases or deaths by the year 2040 would alter.
The researchers discovered that 830,200 people worldwide will die from liver cancer in 2020, with an expected 905,700 people receiving liver cancer diagnoses. Accordingly, liver cancer is one of the top three cancer killers in 46 nations and one of the top five killers in around 100 nations, including numerous high-income nations.
East Asia, North Africa, and Southeast Asia had the highest incidence and fatality rates for liver cancer. The scientists' analysis of the present case count and demographic data led them to make the following prediction: over the next 20 years, the annual number of new liver cancer cases and fatalities will increase by more than 55%.
By 2040, there may be about 500,000 more cases of liver cancer diagnosed than there are today.
Dr. Soerjomataram stated that unless liver cancer rates significantly decline through primary prevention, the annual number of cases or deaths from liver cancer could rise by approximately 500,000 by 2040.
How significant? According to the authors, countries must take preventive efforts to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of liver cancer by at least 3% per year.
According to the authors, in order to make that happen, public health officials must be ready for the anticipated rise in demand for resources to manage the care of liver cancer patients and to strengthen present liver cancer prevention programs.
Often, liver cancer is preventable
According to Estefan, these discoveries are important since liver cancer is frequently a disease that can be avoided. The frequency of its underlying causes around the world is closely correlated with its incidence and death. Routine testing has made it such that blood transfusion-related hepatitis B and C infections are no longer a problem, but these viruses can still spread through unsafe sexual contact and contaminated needle sharing (related to illicit drug use), he notes, both of which are preventable.
According to Dr. Estfan, hepatitis B transmission from infected pregnant women to their newborns can be avoided. The perinatal spread of hepatitis B can be avoided, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provided the infection is discovered and newborns are given treatment within the first 12 hours of delivery.
In the US, liver cancer is less frequent.
According to the CDC, liver cancer is less common in the United States than it is in other countries, where it is actually on the rise. In the US, liver cancer affects roughly 25,000 men and 11,000 women annually, and it kills about 19,000 men and 9,000 women.
According to Estefan, hepatitis C infection and alcohol usage are the main risk factors for liver cancer in the United States, while the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise, albeit slowly. According to him, the rates of incidence and mortality are falling along with the rate of people with hepatitis C who are aging.
Abstaining from alcohol or using it in moderation can help prevent liver cirrhosis and an elevated risk of liver cancer, according to Estefan. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is frequently brought on by obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, is a rising cause of fatty liver and cirrhosis, according to the author. These disorders can be controlled with a healthy lifestyle and treatment.
How to Maintain Liver Health
Maintaining frequent medical follow-ups with your liver doctor or primary care physician and taking your medications as prescribed are imperative if you have liver disease or are at risk for liver disease due to your family history or underlying medical issues. The CDC also provides the following advice to help lower your chance of developing liver cancer:
Consume alcohol in moderation. According to the recommendations, women should only consume one alcohol unit per day and men no more than two.
uphold a healthy weight. By doing so, you may reduce your risk of getting the fatty liver disease or the risk factors that increase your risk of getting it.
Avoid smoking. Or, if you do, stop.
Get a hepatitis B vaccination.
Take a hepatitis C test. And if you need it, seek medical attention.
