Liver Cancer Cases Expected to Nearly Double Worldwide by 2050 with Majority Preventable

Liver cancer cases globally are projected to nearly double by 2050, rising from 870,000 to 1.52 million annually, with deaths increasing from 760,000 to 1.37 million, driven mainly by obesity, alcohol consumption, and viral hepatitis. The disease, currently the sixth most common cancer and the third deadliest, is increasingly affecting younger adults, linked to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its severe form MASH, both connected to obesity and metabolic risk factors. While cases caused by hepatitis B and C are expected to decline due to vaccination and treatment, alcohol-related and obesity-related liver cancers are projected to rise significantly. Experts emphasize that about 60% of liver cancer cases are preventable through measures such as improved hepatitis B vaccination coverage, reducing alcohol consumption, and addressing obesity through lifestyle changes. The findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive public health strategies to tackle the preventable causes of liver cancer to curb this growing global health crisis. Physicians stress the preventability of most liver cancer cases and call for enhanced prevention efforts worldwide.