Many liver cancer cases can be prevented by addressing hepatitis: Study

More than three of every five liver cancer cases in the world can be prevented by addressing risk factors, such as hepatitis, alcohol habits and non-alcoholic fatty liver conditions, according to an analysis report of The Lancet Commission on the fatal disease.

Researchers from The Hong Kong Cancer Institute, Fudan University, and others in China, South Korea, the US and Europe authored the report.

The team predicted a 35 per cent increase in liver cancer driven by a severe form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease that is caused by excess fat in the liver and called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Liver cancer is among the top three types of cancer deaths in 46 countries, according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Hepatology.

The Lancet Commission's findings present a huge opportunity for countries to target risk factors such as viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity to prevent liver cancer and save lives, said first author Stephen Chan, a professor at the department of clinical oncology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The authors of the report said that an increased public, medical and political awareness on the rising risk of fatty liver conditions, with a focus on people having diabetes and obesity, especially in the US, Europe and Asia, is needed.

A growing population, combined with an increasing prevalence of risk factors, is expected to drive a rise in cases of liver cancer globally, with studies projecting an around 55 per cent rise in such cases by 2040.

The commission report sets a target of reducing yearly cases by two per cent to five per cent -- potentially preventing up to 17 million liver cancer cases and up to 15 million deaths, it said.

Intensified efforts to increase vaccination and screening for hepatitis B and C, along with policies restricting alcohol consumption, are among the strategies that the report recommends.

It also suggested an increased investment by national health authorities and cancer control programmes in public awareness campaigns and early detection of cases.

Palliative (pain-related) care training should be provided to staff at hospitals and professional organisations, and should be integrated in the early phases for patients in need, the report said.

"We estimated that at least 60 per cent of liver cancers are preventable via control of modifiable risk factors, including (hepatitis B virus), (hepatitis C virus), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and alcohol," the report stated.