Liver cancer deaths rise by around 50 per cent

New calculations from Cancer Research UK have shown that liver cancer death rates have increased by approximately 50 per cent in the last decade and have tripled since records began.

The 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, rising 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 per cent in the last decade - and survival is typically low.

Every year, approximately 5,900 people are diagnosed with liver cancer in the UK. And this number is projected to rise by 38 per cent in the UK between 2014 and 2035.

Helen Reeves, Cancer Research UK’s liver cancer expert from Newcastle University, said: “Unfortunately, progress in treating liver cancer has been painfully slow and we desperately need more options for patients. Another problem is the rise in the number of people being diagnosed, which has meant we are losing more people to this disease than ever before.

“Rising levels of obesity and associated conditions like diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have likely had a big role in this, although they aren’t the only factors. But the good news is that there are some potentially game-changing treatments on the way. Research looking at refining immunotherapy has been hugely promising. It doesn’t work in all patients just yet and we’re still looking at why that is, but it can add years to lives when it does.”