The number of people dying from liver cancer has nearly doubled in the past two decades and is projected to keep rising, new analysis shows, despite around half of cases being preventable.
Liver cancer kills 58,00 people in the UK each year, nearly twice the rate of the late 1990s when that form of cancer killed 2,200 people a year, according to analysis by Cancer Research UK.
Those death rates are projected to increase by a further 10 per cent by 2040 - and the charity warned in the 15 years to then, liver cancer will have killed about 135,000 people.
Katrina Brown, senior statistics manager at Cancer Research UK, said there are several factors in the rise of liver cancer deaths. It’s partly been driven by an increasing British population, which means more liver cancer diagnoses and deaths.
“There are more people here to get cancer,” she said. “But there is a genuine increase in your risk of getting liver cancer.”
Lifestyle factors play a major role and about half of all cases are preventable, Ms Brown said. Drinking alcohol or smoking are drivers, and a key factor is being overweight or obese.
“The notable thing for liver cancer is overweight and obesity is a key risk factor, and that has been steadily increasing in the UK - around two-thirds of UK adults are overweight and obese,” she said.
While smoking rates have been falling and drinking patterns have changed, generally trending downward, Ms Brown said many liver cancer cases today are the result of risk factors from decades past.
“We are still looking at the impact of 10 years ago,” she said.
“Liver cancer like most cancers is most common in older people, so that’s what we project will continue and that’s partly because older people have had more life to be exposed to risk factors but also because cancer can just come about without exposure to risk factors.”
She noted that while it was more common in men than women like other cancers, it was unusually more common in some non-white ethnic groups.
Liver cancer is one of several less-survivable cancers, with just 13 per cent of people surviving five years after their diagnosis. It is currently the eighth most common cause of cancer death in the UK, but Cancer Research UK projects it will reach sixth place by 2040.
NHS England has been working to detect more liver cancer cases at an earlier stage through mobile liver clinics which travel to high-risk communities across the country to screen people for signs and symptoms of the disease.
Sophia Lowes, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said if people notice something unusual about their body they should speak to their doctor: “In most cases, it won’t be cancer, but it’s best to get it checked out.
“Signs and symptoms of liver cancer include unexplained weight loss, jaundice – the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes – itching, feeling sick, or having a swollen tummy.
“This January, try to build healthy habits that last to reduce your risk of cancer. Keeping a healthy weight, stopping smoking, and cutting back on alcohol can make all the difference.”
Ms Brown said quitting smoking was “the single best thing” people could do to reduce their risk of cancer or other diseases.
Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, Dr Ian Walker, said this was also a reason for all MPs to support the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would prevent children aged 14 and under from ever being able to legally purchase tobacco or vape products.
“It’s essential that this is passed into law as soon as possible, to bring us closer to a smoke-free UK and a future free from the harms of tobacco,” Dr Walker said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “When it comes to fighting cancer, every second counts. This government will get the NHS catching cancers earlier through early diagnosis and screening programmes, so that it can be treated faster and so more lives can be saved.
“As we deliver our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS fit for the future and fight cancer on all fronts – through prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and research.”
