Liver Cancer Cases Double In U.S.
(As reported 3/11/99)
The most common form of liver cancer, a type that is nearly always fatal, is on the rise in the United States and the increase is likely to continue until hepatitis is better controlled, researchers reported Thursday.
A new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine says the number of liver cancer cases is growing at an alarming rate, reports CBS News Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay.
The study looked at government data for more than 20 years. It discovered that between 1976 and 1995, the number of liver cancer-related deaths increased by 45 percent. The number of cases diagnosed increased by 71 percent.
Only 5 percent of people with hepatocellular carcinoma are alive five years after diagnosis, because the tumors usually are found only after the cancer has spread.
The cancer is often caused by chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C, viral diseases that lead to liver scarring, known as cirrhosis, which in turn can lead to liver cancer. Hepatitis also can cause other changes in liver cells that make them cancerous.
Alcoholism is another leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. But alcoholism is declining and hepatitis B infections are slowing because of a vaccine and effective treatments. So researchers believe most of the increase in liver cancer is a result of hepatitis C, a disease discovered a decade ago.
Doctors at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M., speculate that participating in high-risk activities, such as intravenous drug use and unsafe sex, contribute to the spread of these conditions that can lead to liver cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, liver cancer will strike an estimated 14,500 Americans in 1999.
Liver cancer has few early symptoms. It can develop anywhere from 10 to 30 years after hepatitis or liver damage has occurred. While no cure is available for liver cancer, doctors hope that by identifying hepatitis patients early, they can treat the condition and prevent the onset of the cancer.
Doctors recommend that teens and adults prevent hepatitis C and liver scarring by avoiding:
- Unprotected sex
- Injection of illegal drugs
- Body piercing and tattooing
- Heavy alcohol consumption
Doctors should test patients with hepatitis-induced cirrhosis for liver cancer, because if tumors are caught early enough, surgery can be successful, said Dr. Hashem El-Serag, lead author of the study.