By MDLinx staff - Published August 5, 2025

Liver cancer rates are projected to nearly double by 2050, according to a new editorial in The Lancet, published last week.[1]
In a recent Instagram Reel, gastroenterologist Supriya Rao, MD, discussed implications of the staggering statistic, what's driving the increase, and what doctors can do about it.

Most cases are preventable. As a gastroenterologist, I see how it happens.
—Gastroenterologist Supriya Rao, MD, @gutsygirl

Behind the upward trend
While startling, the trend is reversible, per the report—and Dr. Rao. “Most cases are preventable,” she said. “As a gastroenterologist, I see how it happens.”
According to Dr. Rao, there are four major culprits fueling the rise in liver cancer: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and obesity; alcohol-related liver disease; hepatitis B and C; and poor diet (high in ultra-processed foods and added sugars, which accelerate fatty liver progression).
These risk factors often go undetected until irreversible liver damage has already occurred.

TO CONTINUE:Liver cancer cases will double by 2050—here’s how docs can stop it | MDLinx

Published September 22, 2025 | Originally published on ScienceDaily Top Science
MDLinx
​Excessive alcohol consumption can disrupt the liver's unique regenerative abilities by trapping cells in limbo between their functional and regenerative states, even after a patient stops drinking, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at Duke University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago describe in a new study.

This in-between state is a result of inflammation disrupting how RNA is spliced during the protein-making process, the researchers found, providing scientists with new treatment pathways to explore for the deadly disease. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate itself after damage or partial removal. However, it loses that ability in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease — the leading cause of liver-related mortality worldwide, resulting in roughly 3 million deaths annually.

"We knew that the liver stops functioning and stops regenerating in patients with alcohol-related hepatitis and cirrhosis, even when a patient has discontinued consuming alcohol, but we didn't know why," said U. of I. biochemistry professor Auinash Kalsotra, who co-led the study with Duke University School of Medicine professor Anna Mae Diehl. "The only real life-saving treatment option once a patient reaches the liver failure stage in those diseases is transplantation. But if we understood why these livers were failing, maybe we could intervene."

TO CONTINUE: ​https://www.mdlinx.com/news/why-alcohol-blocks-the-liver-from-healing-even-after-you-quit/5jMdPxoERSQHRsnoj8Dfcz?show_order=5&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_251004_daily-nl-am-v4_registered-users-a180_all&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email

Offering HCV tests to everyone seen in emergency departments led to 34% more new diagnoses than traditional screening based on risk factors.  hep August 8, 2025 • By Sukanya Charuchandra

Screening all adults who visit emergency department for hepatitis C virus (HCV), regardless of their risk profile, uncovered significantly more cases than a more targeted approach, according to study findings published in JAMA. But despite improved detection, only about 1 in 10 newly diagnosed patients ultimately started treatment and achieved a functional cure, underscoring persistent gaps in follow-up care.
Over time, chronic hepatitis C can lead to serious liver complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. But the infection is often asymptomatic at early stages, and a majority of people are not aware they carry the virus. HCV screening has traditionally been based on risk factors, such as injection drug use. Direct-acting antiviral therapy, which has a cure rate above 90%, prevents both disease progression and onward transmission of the virus, but most people who could benefit from treatment are not getting it.

​TO CONTINUE: https://www.hepmag.com/article/universal-emergency-room-hepatitis-c-screening-finds-cases

Published July 29, 2025 | Originally published on MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events

​The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer.

The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risk factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, primarily due to population growth and aging populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. The number of deaths from liver cancer is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Liver cancer is already a major cause of death and disability. Globally, it's the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. More than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China, mostly due to relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections in the country.

Chair of the Commission, Prof Jian Zhou, Fudan University (China) says, "Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend."

First author, Prof Stephen Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) adds, "As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives."
The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer.

The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risk factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, primarily due to population growth and aging populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. The number of deaths from liver cancer is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Liver cancer is already a major cause of death and disability. Globally, it's the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. More than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China, mostly due to relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections in the country.

Chair of the Commission, Prof Jian Zhou, Fudan University (China) says, "Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend."

First author, Prof Stephen Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) adds, "As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives."
The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer.

The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risk factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, primarily due to population growth and aging populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. The number of deaths from liver cancer is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Liver cancer is already a major cause of death and disability. Globally, it's the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. More than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China, mostly due to relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections in the country.

Chair of the Commission, Prof Jian Zhou, Fudan University (China) says, "Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend."

First author, Prof Stephen Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) adds, "As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives."
The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer.

The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risk factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, primarily due to population growth and aging populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. The number of deaths from liver cancer is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Liver cancer is already a major cause of death and disability. Globally, it's the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. More than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China, mostly due to relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections in the country.

Chair of the Commission, Prof Jian Zhou, Fudan University (China) says, "Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend."

First author, Prof Stephen Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) adds, "As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives."
The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease—previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), suggests an analysis as part of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer.

The Commission highlights several ways to reduce these risk factors, including increasing the coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine and public health policies targeting obesity and alcohol consumption.

Previous analyses have predicted that the number of new liver cancer cases will nearly double from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million in 2050, primarily due to population growth and aging populations, with the largest increases expected in Africa. The number of deaths from liver cancer is predicted to grow from 760,000 in 2022 to 1.37 million in 2050.

Liver cancer is already a major cause of death and disability. Globally, it's the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer. More than 40% of the global liver cancer cases occur in China, mostly due to relatively high rates of hepatitis B infections in the country.

Chair of the Commission, Prof Jian Zhou, Fudan University (China) says, "Liver cancer is a growing health issue around the world. It is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with five-year survival rates ranging from approximately 5% to 30%. We risk seeing close to a doubling of cases and deaths from liver cancer over the next quarter of a century without urgent action to reverse this trend."

First author, Prof Stephen Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) adds, "As three in five cases of liver cancer are linked to preventable risk factors, mostly viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity, there is a huge opportunity for countries to target these risk factors, prevent cases of liver cancer and save lives."

TO CONTINUE READING:​ https://www.mdlinx.com/news/most-liver-cancer-cases-are-due-to-preventable-risk-factors-analysis-suggests/6rDEScZZ4QoZNyQc5zn7nL?show_order=4&utm_campaign=v2.0&utm_source=email&utm_medium=social_share&utm_content=news_byline

Story by Science X staff MSN

​A new study has estimated, for the first time, the number of children born globally with hepatitis C virus. The research, led by researchers from the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation and Behavioral Science (NIHR HPRU EBS) at the University of Bristol, estimated that each year around 74,000 children globally are born with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with around 23,000 of these children estimated to still have HCV infection at age five.

Pakistan and Nigeria were the countries shown to have the highest levels of cases, followed by China, Russia, and India, which in total were found to make up around half of all vertically transmitted infections.
The study, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, produced estimates for each country, which is a first, as previously such figures were only available for Pakistan, Egypt, and the U.S. using data from more than 10 years ago.

Lead author Dr. Adam Trickey, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol Medical School, said, "Our study findings highlight not only the scale of transmission, but also the great need for more testing. Without this testing the virus, which can be cured in most cases, is left untreated in young children who contract the virus from birth.

"These statistics are important for policymakers and health care planners as they uncover a major source of new HCV infections that has so far been understudied. There are also implications for service delivery, as pregnancy is often a time where it is possible for health care providers to engage with people who they might not usually be in contact with, offering a chance to screen them for HCV and connect them to care if necessary."

​TO CONTINUE READING:https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/74000-children-born-annually-with-hepatitis-c-worldwide-study-estimates/ar-AA1JrQA5



​

UN Chronicle -Dr. John W. Ward is Director of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination.
25 July 2025

World Hepatitis Day is observed on 28 July each year. Its purpose is to raise awareness to combat hepatitis and achieve the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the elimination of hepatitis B and hepatitis C as global health threats. The 2025 theme, “Let’s Break It Down”, calls for collective action to break down the remaining barriers to prevention, care and the cure of hepatitis.
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are often hidden infections; they can exist in the body undetected for years until they cause liver failure or liver cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths. As a result, public awareness, political attention and investment remain limited. Yet the numbers demand our urgent attention: worldwide, 305 million people have hepatitis B or hepatitis C, causing 1.3 million deaths per year – exceeding deaths from HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).1
Recognizing this crisis, the United Nations, in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.3, challenged the world to combat hepatitis. In response, the World Health Assembly in 2016 unanimously endorsed the WHO goals for eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The benefits of hepatitis elimination are substantial: for health, preventing 36 million infections and averting 10 million deaths; for economies, increasing productivity by $145 billion.2
Now, nearly ten years since setting these goals, recent global reports reveal both remarkable achievements and persistent barriers in the world’s journey towards hepatitis elimination.
Achievement: vaccination of children to prevent hepatitis B and liver cancer
With the assistance of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), the United Nations Children's Fund and other partners, most countries vaccinate infants to prevent hepatitis B. For example, since 1992, China raised infant vaccination coverage to over 90 per cent, preventing 40 million new infections. Globally, since 1990, childhood hepatitis B vaccination has averted over 22 million deaths. Through this collective effort, the world met the 2020 interim global goal of fewer than 1 in 100 children infected with hepatitis B.
Challenge: protecting newborns in Africa from hepatitis B
Newborns infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) during birth have a 90 per cent risk of lifelong infection and risk of death from liver cancer. To protect newborns, vaccination must begin quickly, preferably within 24 hours of birth. Maternal hepatitis B screening to detect and treat infected mothers provides extra protection. In the WHO African region, fewer than one in five newborns receive timely hepatitis B vaccination. Today, globally, about two of every three new chronic HBV infections are among the children of Africa. The Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination and partners are working to improve vaccine coverage through education and national policy development. Gavi now supports hepatitis B vaccination for newborns. The pay-off in better health is great: vaccinating 90 per cent of newborns in Africa will prevent 500,000 deaths from hepatitis B.
Achievement: infection control to prevent HBV and HCV
Both hepatitis B and C are blood-borne viruses. Unsafe medical practices, especially the reuse of syringes, pose a major risk of transmission. Global efforts to promote safe injection practices have changed behaviours: today, 95 per cent of medical injections worldwide are given with sterile equipment. However, unsafe medical injections still pose risks, particularly in South Asia and other regions where injectable medicines are often preferred.
Challenge: hepatitis C transmission among persons who inject drugs
Globally, about 50 per cent of persons who inject drugs have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Prevention requires access to harm-reduction services, i.e., sterile needles, opioid substitution therapy and testing and treatment for hepatitis C. Yet only a few countries (e.g., Australia, Canada) provide adequate harm-reduction services, underscoring the need for greater investment and political will to protect populations most vulnerable to hepatitis C.
Achievement: model national programmes to test, treat and cure hepatitis C
The treatments for hepatitis C are miracles of modern medicine – the first drugs to cure a chronic viral infection. Taken as pills for two to three months, these medications cure over 95 per cent of people with hepatitis C. Medication costs have fallen globally to a $60 treatment course available through the Global Fund. No longer should anyone die of hepatitis C.

​TO CONTINUE READING:https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/world-hepatitis-day-and-every-day-advancing-global-solidarity-eliminate-hepatitis

​

Published June 20, 2025 | Originally published on ScienceAlert Latest

The liver is one of the hardest working organs in the human body. It detoxifies harmful substances, helps with digestion, stores nutrients, and regulates metabolism.Despite its remarkable resilience – and even its ability to regenerate – the liver is not indestructible. In fact, many everyday habits, often overlooked, can slowly cause damage that may eventually lead to serious conditions such as cirrhosis (permanent scarring of the liver) or liver failure.
One of the challenges with liver disease is that it can be a silent threat. In its early stages, it may cause only vague symptoms like constant fatigue or nausea.

As damage progresses, more obvious signs may emerge. One of the most recognisable is jaundice, where the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow.
While most people associate liver disease with heavy drinking, alcohol isn't the only culprit.

TO CONTINUE READING:​https://www.mdlinx.com/news/5-daily-habits-could-be-causing-your-liver-serious-harm/4mtIzFD66eIlvvAW0f9ld4?show_order=2&utm_campaign=re

By Bobby McGuireJune 7, 2025 at 7:00am Queerty

While many in the queer community watch stunned in disbelief as anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation designed to dismantle transgender healthcare sweeps across America, a gay councilmember in the heart of queer New York City is refusing to stand still.
Erik Bottcher, representing the historic neighborhoods where Stonewall’s legacy lives on, isn’t just posting rainbow flags or offering sympathetic tweets (the queer equivalent of ‘thoughts and prayers’)—he’s wielding legislative power.
As the current administration actively worked in its first weeks to roll back transgender rights through executive orders, Bottcher and his allies on the city’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus were busy on the counteroffensive, creating a bold legislative package designed to safeguard transgender, gender non-conforming, nonbinary, and intersex (TGNCNBI) New York

TO CONTINUE: https://www.queerty.com/nyc-councilmember-erik-bottcher-offers-a-lot-more-than-thoughts-prayers-for-the-queer-community-20250607/

​By Kerry BreenEdited By Kierra FrazierMay 8, 2025 / 5:21 PM EDT / CBS News

The Trump administration has proposed cutting a $56 million grant that teaches first responders how to use the lifesaving overdose reversal drug naloxone, which experts say could reverse progress the United States has made in lowering opioid overdose deaths. 
A recent dip in overdose deaths has been credited in part to wider naloxone access. The medication was made available for over-the-counter purchase in 2023 and is standard for first responders to carry. It's even popped up in some classrooms. 
Naloxone, also sold under the brand name Narcan, is available in injectable and nasal spray form. It is an opioid antagonist that attaches to receptors in the brain, reversing and blocking the effects of other opioids, including fentanyl. 
The grant money can be used by state and local organizations for training people on how to use naloxone, as well as administering and distributing the medication. Grantees are expected to establish protocols to refer patients to treatment or support services and provide other safety information about illicit drugs and overdoses. The grant is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 
"While some skeptics may think that naloxone - and harm reduction more generally - enable people, there is decades of research that show giving people the information and tools they need helps keep people safe," medical anthropologist Jennifer Syvertsen said in an emailed statement. "Naloxone simply enables people to breathe." 

TO CONTINUE READING::
​https://www.cbsnews.com/news/overdose-deaths-narcan-naloxone-harm-reduction-samhsa-trump-cuts/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKm1U1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFtTmwySjFJR3RmMXAxM21VAR4Ee7kbQFIDYAwwghR4_JtT9M0yW1g29NSxarRYVRlg8qiuR5_c6gxnhl6fLA_aem_J9UJqxAmR7cS1r0vVO1sDg

Meeting Abstract: 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
Hepatobiliary Cancer  January 27, 2025
​Authors: Fnu Anamika, Akshit Chitkara, Marciano Figueroa, Arshia Adib, and Rushin PatelAuthors Info & Affiliations Publication: Journal of Clinical Oncology  Volume 43, Number 4_suppl
https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2025.43.4_suppl.52



Background: Liver cancer continues to be a significant public health concern, particularly among high-risk groups such as individuals with hepatitis infections, alcohol use disorders, and metabolic diseases. While liver cancer disparities have been well-documented among racial and ethnic minority groups, emerging research highlights significant health inequities within the LGBTQ community, including higher rates of risk factors and limited access to screening and care. This literature review aims to assess the extent of liver cancer disparities within the LGBTQ community and identify gaps in prevention, screening, and treatment.

To Continue Reading:   https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2025.43.4_suppl.528