Liver cancer cases will double by 2050—here’s how docs can stop it

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.

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