If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  Liver Cancer Incidence Has Tripled in the United States, but Survival Rates Are Improving ALEXANDRIA, Va -- February 18, 2009 -- A study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, shows that hepatocellular carcinoma incidence and mortality in the United States has tripled over the past 3 decades, but survival rates are improving. Researchers found for the first time that 1- through 5-year survival rates improved significantly for patients diagnosed with liver cancer between 1992 and 2005, in part because more patients were diagnosed at earlier stages, when treatment is more effective. "Although the study could not determine why liver incidence rates are increasing, these trends may be partially attributable to an increase in chronic hepatitis C, which together with hepatitis B is a major risk factor for liver cancer," said lead author Sean Altekruse, MD, National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, Maryland. "Additional research into the factors related to this increase in incidence will be vital to preventing these rates from rising further." Dr. Altekruse noted that heavy alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and iron storage diseases may also contribute to the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. The study examined data on incidence trends, mortality rates, and survival rates from the NCI's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registries, and found that between 1975 and 2005, hepatocellular carcinoma rates tripled from 1.6 cases per 100,000 people to 4.9 per 100,000. From 1992 to 2005, hepatocellular carcinoma incidence trends increased significantly. African Americans and Hispanics both experienced approximately a 67% increase in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence between 1992 and 2005 (4.2-7.0/100,000 and 4.8-8.0/100,000, respectively), and whites experienced an approximately 50% increase in incidence (2.6-3.9/100,000) during this time period. Between 2000 and 2005, incidence rates increased most markedly among African-American men (42%; 28.7-40.8/100,000), Hispanic men (43%; 23-32.8/100,000), and white men (43%; 11.5-16.5/100,000) aged 50 to 59 years. These increases may be partially due to an epidemic of hepatitis C infection that began in the 1960s, when men in this age range were young adults. From 1992 to 2005, liver cancer incidence rates among Asians and Pacific Islanders were the highest of all racial groups overall; however, rates increased by a relatively modest 17% (10.0-11.7/100,000) in this time period. Researchers attribute a substantial portion of liver cancer cases in Asians and Pacific Islanders to higher rates of hepatitis B among some Asian subgroups. One-year survival rates nearly doubled between 1992 and 2005, rising from 25% of patients to 47%. Dr. Altekruse points out that while the increasing survival rates are encouraging, further improvement is still needed, noting that 1-year survival rates are still below 50%. "Early screening for patients with hepatitis C, a leading risk factor for liver cancer, has directly contributed to increasing survival rates for patients living with liver cancer," commented Jennifer Obel, MD, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois. "When detected early, there are significantly more treatment options for liver cancer -- in most cases, the earlier it is caught, the better the prognosis. This study points to the need to identify even more at-risk individuals through early screening programs to improve prognosis with potentially curative therapy." SOURCE: American Society of Clinical Oncology
|
