The American Cancer Society estimates that liver cancer will account for about 41,000 new cancer cases and 29,000 cancer deaths in the United States in 2017. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in men and the eighth leading cause of cancer death in women. About 1.0 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with liver cancer in their lifetimes.
The report notes that liver cancer incidence has been rising in the U.S. since at least the mid-1970s, a trend that is expected to continue through at least 2030. One major factor contributing to the increase is a higher rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among baby boomers (born between 1945 through 1965). Among this age group, HCV prevalence is approximately 2.6%, a rate 6-fold greater than that of other adults. A rise in obesity and type II diabetes over the past several decades has also likely contributed to the trend. Other risk factors include alcohol, which increases liver cancer risk by about 10% per drink per day, and tobacco use, which increases liver cancer risk by approximately 50%.
Despite improvements in liver cancer survival in recent decades, only one in five patients survives five years after diagnosis.
The report identifies substantial disparity in liver cancer death rates by race/ethnicity, ranging from 5.5 per 100,000 in non-Hispanic whites to 11.9 per 100,000 in American Indians/Alaska Natives. There are also wide disparities by state, with the lowest death rates in North Dakota (3.8 per 100,000), and the highest in the District of Columbia (9.6 per 100,000).
The report says the wide racial and state disparities in liver cancer mortality reflect differences in the prevalence of major risk factors and, to some extent, inequalities in access to high-quality care. “However, most liver cancers are potentially preventable,” write the authors. “Interventions to curb the rising burden of liver cancer and reduce racial/ethnic and geographic disparities should include the targeted application of existing knowledge in prevention, early detection, and treatment, including improvements in [hepatitis B virus] vaccination, screening and treatment of HCV, maintaining a healthy body weight, access to high-quality diabetes care, prevention of excessive alcohol drinking, and tobacco control.
mexicans use the emergency room when they have the flu, but they won’t screen their livers with their hard-drinking high-calorie lifestyle? Agreed
Permanent link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170608123643.htm
That’s what killed John Coltrane at age 40 in 1967. He was a bit of a glutton, and went through the heroin thing, so who knows how much those contributed.
Milk thistle. Every day.
All people are exactly the same. Differences are due to racism and white privilege. There is no difference between Somalia and Iceland, other than white privilege.
Heck, just the crap we consume and pollute ourselves with eating processed foods alone is enough to boost these statistics.
And now they let 3rd world shytholes contribute to the mess by importing their filth for Americans to feast upon. Chinese fish from one of their fish farms anyone?
OK, rant off before I get carried away on this...
As far as the liver is concerned, this "better living through chemistry" world we've created is a tough place to work.
I've seen this first hand while re-learning how to feed my dogs.
My dogs both had some serious health issues that were greatly improved, if not totally resolved, by changing them over to an all organic, whole food, homemade diet that cancer patients are encouraged to follow.
In hindsight, this makes sense to me now. Try it and see for yourself.
Eating food that is as "close to God" as you can get it, and then made with love in your own kitchen, has to be better than the stuff in a can, box or bag that's made by a machine in a factory somewhere with the goal of maximum shelf life as top priority.
Tastes better, too...
One question about the assumption of unequal access to healthcare: what exactly is meant by healthcare in regards to treating liver cancer and whatever pre-cancer liver diseases? Does this include liver transplant?