Changing Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Within the United States and Worldwide

Abstract

Globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related death and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. The predominant cause of HCC is shifting from viral to nonviral causes, in parallel with the high global prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and increasing alcohol consumption in many countries. There have been promising recent advances in the treatment of all stages of HCC; however, improvements in early detection, increased utilization of HCC surveillance, and equitable access to HCC therapies are needed to curb increases in HCC mortality.

Keywords: Disparities; Epidemiology; Incidence; Liver cancer; Mortality; Risk factors.

Fig. 1.

Age-standardized rates for liver cancer. (A) Incidence and (B) mortality per 100,000 persons, by country. All rights reserved. The designations used and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities or the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate borderlines for which there may not yet be full agreement. (Based on 2020 GLOBOCAN data from the World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Figure created at gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map.)