HCC Mortality Trends—In with ALD (and NAFLD) and Out with HCV

Excerpt

Over the last decade, there has been a sizeable shift in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-related etiology and mortality from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-driven liver disease to alcohol- and nonalcohol-related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As screening, prevention, and therapeutic measures for HCV continues to improve, rates of HCC related to HCV have appropriately decreased [1]. Nevertheless, HCC mortality rates as a whole have not followed the same downward trend, unlike other gastroenterological (GI)-related malignancies. As of 2021, HCC remains the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide [2, 3], largely due to the increase in the number of HCC cases caused by alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and NAFLD [3]. In order to combat this rise in HCC-related mortality, it is imperative to understand the patterns underlying these increasing numbers and more importantly identify interventions in order to prevent the rise of non-HCV related chronic liver disease. …