Liver cancer death rates have increased by around 50% in the last decade and have tripled since records began, according to the latest calculations* by Cancer Research UK.
Liver cancer death rates have increased by around 50% in the last decade and have tripled since records began, according to the latest calculations* by Cancer Research UK.
New mortality data shows that there were around 5,700 deaths from liver cancer in 2017 in the UK, which is the highest ever yearly number of deaths recorded. This has climbed from 3,200 deaths in 2007. Of all cancer types, liver cancer has had the largest increase in death rates over the last decade and the most rapid rise in deaths since UK records began.
Experts at Cancer Research UK believe that death rates have risen so steeply because the number of people being diagnosed with liver cancer has also increased - by 60% in the last decade - and survival is typically low. It’s one of the hardest cancers to treat, and five-year survival can range from anywhere between 6% and 37% depending on age and gender.
The disease is difficult to treat mainly because it can be hard to spot at an early stage as it often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has progressed. Because of this, emergency presentations are the most common route to diagnosing liver cancer and surgery isn’t an option for many of these patients because the disease has already spread. Clinicians find that many patients also have chronic liver disease, so symptoms of cancer can be easily missed.
Read more at Cancer Research UK
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