Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016:67:103-17.
doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-090514-013832. Epub 2015 Oct 14.

Liver Cancer: Connections with Obesity, Fatty Liver, and Cirrhosis

Affiliations
Free article
Review

Liver Cancer: Connections with Obesity, Fatty Liver, and Cirrhosis

Andrea Marengo et al. Annu Rev Med. 2016.
Free article

Abstract

The burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, is steadily growing because obesity, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are replacing viral- and alcohol-related liver disease as major pathogenic promoters. The most worrisome aspects of these new risk factors are their large spread in the general population and their link with HCC arising in noncirrhotic livers. HCC may be the presenting feature of an asymptomatic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the progressive form of NAFLD. The HCC risk connected to metabolic factors has been underestimated so far, and a poorer surveillance has prevented an adequate treatment. Systemic and hepatic molecular mechanisms involved in obesity- and NAFLD-induced hepatocarcinogenesis as well as potential early markers of HCC are being extensively investigated. This review summarizes current evidence linking obesity, NAFLD and liver cancer, discusses its clinical impact and describes the main mechanisms underlying this complex relationship.

Keywords: hepatocarcinogenesis; hepatocellular carcinoma; steatohepatitis; type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms