A recent large-scale study, published in Cancer Research, asserts that a high body mass index, increased waist circumference, and type 2 diabetes are associated with an increased likelihood of liver cancer.
Estimates by American Cancer Society suggest that 39,230 new cases of the disease this year and that 27,170 people will die from the disease in 2016.
Although liver cancer has been fairly rare in the United States, since 1980, the incidence rate of the disease has risen threefold.
Unfortunately, because symptoms of liver cancer do generally manifest until the disease has significantly progressed, diagnosis often occurs relatively late. Even more daunting, should the cancer be determined before it spreads to other organs, an individual’s prognosis is especially grim, with a five-year survival rate of just 30.5 percent.
Although causes for liver cancer remain vague, most cases are associated with scarring of the liver, known as cirrhosis. Alcohol abuse and hepatitis B and C infections appear to be primary causes.
Although liver cancer has been fairly rare in the United States, since 1980, the incidence rate of the disease has risen threefold.
Experts believe that increase in liver cancer corresponds to the increase in type 2 diabetes and obesity. The author of the study Peter Campbell and his team gather data from 1.57 million participants who were enrolled in 14 varying U.S. studies that gathered information using a questionnaire that inquired about weight, waist size, height, cigarette consumption, alcohol intake and other cancer risks.
After the data was adjusted for smoking, race, alcohol intake, and BMI, it was determined that people with type 2 diabetes were 2.61 times more likely to develop liver cancer. The increased risk corresponded with three factors – a person’s BMI, waist circumference and type 2 diabetes.
Although this study does not conclude that the rise of liver cancer is purely related obesity, it does demonstrate that obesity is more than likely to be involved. Therefore liver cancer should no longer be determined to be strictly the result of alcohol abuse and hepatitis alone.
