Lifestyle fixes can curb doubling of liver cancer cases by 2050: Hong Kong experts

The expected doubling of liver cancer patients worldwide by 2050 can be reversed with lifestyle changes and policy interventions, such as calorie labelling and increases in alcohol prices, according to Hong Kong scholars who led a global study.

Sixty per cent of liver cancer cases are preventable, as more cases are no longer caused by hepatitis viral infection but by an unhealthy lifestyle, said Professor Stephen Chan Lam from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s clinical oncology department, who co-led the study.

The Lancet Commission on liver cancer study found that by 2050, about one in three liver cancer cases will be caused by alcohol use and fatty liver disease, up from 26 per cent in 2022.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections, meanwhile, would account for 62 per cent of cases, down from 68 per cent.

Chan added that most liver cancer cases in the world would continue to be in Asian regions, but the figure is declining. Western countries, meanwhile, will record an uptick in cases due to the increasing incidence of fatty liver.

“We will be at a crossroads in the coming two decades,” Chan said. “Obesity and unhealthy eating habits are causing more liver cancer cases. It means everyone is at risk now, including those who are not drinking or carrying the hepatitis virus.