Liver Cancer Cases Could Nearly Double by 2050

A new global study points to a striking stat: About 60% of liver cancer cases—currently killing more than 700,000 people worldwide each year—could be prevented by tackling a handful of risk factors. Published in the Lancet journal, the study highlights chronic hepatitis B and C, heavy alcohol use, and liver diseases linked to obesity and metabolic issues as the main culprits. "Liver cancer is common, it causes immense suffering and death, and the saddest part for me as a physician is that most of the cases are preventable," Dr. Brian P. Lee of USC's Keck School of Medicine, who wasn't involved in the new study, tells the New York Times.

• Liver cancer ranks as the sixth most common cancer, and the third deadliest. "It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%," study co-author Dr. Jian Zhou tells HealthDay. The study anticipates nearly 1.5 million new cases annually by 2050 if current trends continue, with alcohol- and metabolic-related liver diseases expected to drive a growing share of those numbers.

• While prevention efforts have made headway against hepatitis-driven cancers, experts say the risks tied to alcohol and what's now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have been flying under the radar. MASLD—formerly nonalcoholic fatty liver disease—affects about 40% of adults globally, largely due to obesity and Type 2 diabetes rates.
• Most liver cancers arise in people with cirrhosis, in which the liver is irreversibly scarred. Risk factors like untreated hepatitis, heavy drinking, and excess fat all pave the way to this condition, sometimes without obvious symptoms. That's why some doctors are urging primary care providers to screen high-risk patients, including those with diabetes or obesity, using blood tests to spot early liver damage.