Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 29: A recent Lancet Commission report has issued a stark warning: nearly 60 per cent of liver cancer cases globally are preventable if modifiable lifestyle risk factors such as hepatitis B and C infections, alcohol abuse, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are addressed in time.

The study also sheds light on a growing concern — liver cancers linked to obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) are expected to surge by 35 per cent by 2050. This silent but aggressive condition is increasingly becoming a global health threat.

Researchers have projected that if nations can reduce liver cancer incidence by just 2–5 per cent annually until 2050, the world could avoid 9 to 17 million new liver cancer cases and potentially save 8 to 15 million lives.

Dr Stephen Lam Chan of the University of Hong Kong, a lead author of the report, has called for urgent public, political, and medical engagement, particularly targeting high-risk groups such as people living with diabetes and obesity.

Dr Sheetal Dhadphale, Director of Hepatology and Transplant Medicine at Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune, pointed out that while hepatitis B-related liver cancers are on the decline, cases linked to alcohol and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are climbing. “Awareness campaigns and targeted interventions are crucial to halt this dangerous trend,” she said.

Echoing these concerns, Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, founding director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, noted that liver cancer is now among the fastest-growing forms of cancer. “Out of every 100 liver cancer cases, nearly 35 to 40 are associated with diabetes and fatty liver disease,” he emphasized.

With liver cancer’s deadly toll rising and lifestyle diseases becoming more widespread, experts are stressing the need for better screening, healthier habits, and stronger healthcare strategies — before it’s too late.