, diagnosed between 2010 and 2018. Data was culled from Florida's statewide cancer registry and two other public sources.According to statistics from the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , HCC accounts for almost 80% of all liver cancers. About 25,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, and its incidence has increased 48% since 2000. The disease is highly fatal, with a five-year survival rate of only 18%.
Pinheiro, who is also a professor of epidemiology, noted that liver cancer disproportionately affects people of low socioeconomic status, as well as immigrants, veterans and incarcerated populations, which are difficult to capture in"Consequently, we need truly inclusive population data to establish causes and patterns for this disease, especially if we are to develop effective prevention and control efforts for those most vulnerable," he said.
Previous studies done by Pinheiro and collaborators at Sylvester and researchers elsewhere have shown that 90% of all liver cancers are caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C, fatty liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease. However, many of those studies had limitations or did not dig deeper into the most common causes specific to racial-ethnic groups.
Black, Asian and Hispanic populations have marked differences by subgroup—Cubans, Haitians, Chinese, Japanese, for example—and social factors, which influence major causes of liver cancer. Conversely, causes that are declining—primarily hepatitis C—are more prevalent in U.S.-born populations, like whites and Blacks.