Abstract
Liver cancer (mostly hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) is both common and highly lethal throughout Africa, in particular in western and middle Africa where HCC is the first cause of cancer death in men and the third in women. In these high-incidence areas, HCC develops mostly early (<50 years), with an aggressive clinical course and frequently without prior diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. The dynamics of African populations predict that the burden of liver cancers will be multiplied by three to four in the next decades unless effective prevention and therapy is achieved. This article outlines a path for significantly curbing the mortality of liver cancer in Africa by combining primary prevention, improved early detection and introduction of innovative and appropriate management strategies.
Highlights
Liver cancer is the first cause of death by cancer in men (13% of all cancer deaths) and the third in women (6%) across the African continent [1]
Aflatoxins, chronic hepatitis B (HB) and chronic hepatitis C infections are all classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) [9]
These developments set the scene for a radical paradigm shift in the management of liver cancer in Africa, bringing within the realm of possibility a reduction of mortality of 50% or more over the generation
Summary
Liver cancer is the first cause of death by cancer in men (13% of all cancer deaths) and the third in women (6%) across the African continent [1]. Given the current expansion of the population of Africa, the death toll by liver cancer will continue to increase steadily over the decades, with dramatic human, social and economic consequences, unless a global prevention and management strategy is rolled out. These include: 1) preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; 2) mitigating exposure to dietary and metabolic risk factors; 3) treating chronic HBV, HCV and liver disease and 4) improving cancer detection, diagnosis and therapy.
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