Deaths due to liver cancer have doubled since 1990

In the past two decades, the number of deaths caused by liver cancer has increased by 80%, becoming one of the fastest growing causes of cancer deaths worldwide. According to the “Global Burden of Disease Study”, 830,000 people died of liver cancer in 2016, compared with 464,000 in 1990. This makes liver cancer the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The first is lung cancer. Primary liver cancer is the most common liver cancer in the world and can be attributed to heavy drinking and other lifestyle choices, but the most common cause is long-term infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus. These viruses are a major public health challenge, affecting more than 325 million people worldwide. Globally, two thirds of liver cancer deaths are caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C. The Western Pacific and Southeast Asia are the countries with the largest number of carriers of the virus, and the world ’s highest death rate from liver cancer. In China alone, there were more than 260,000 hepatitis B and C deaths in 2016, accounting for one-third of global liver cancer deaths. In 2016, hepatitis C virus caused 160,000 deaths from liver cancer. The United States ranks first among the top three countries, followed by Japan and China. Hepatitis C does have an effective treatment that can prevent the development of liver cancer. The study also found that hepatitis B virus caused 350,000 deaths from liver cancer, of which China and India accounted for 80%. If people are vaccinated against hepatitis B after birth, the vast majority of these deaths may be prevented. Today, only 52% of countries provide hepatitis B vaccine to newborns. Many people are unaware of the correlation between liver cancer deaths and the dramatic increase in hepatitis B and C viruses. The increase in mortality is ultimately due to low vaccination coverage, lack of routine testing and insufficient access to effective treatment.Raquel Peck, CEO of the World Hepatitis Alliance, said: Before World Cancer Day, we require people to be tested for hepatitis B and C, because this is the first step in prevention. We can stop cancer attacks together. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-deaths-liver-cancer-1990s-figures.html