Statistics
And Causes Of Liver CancerStatistics: In
the US liver cancer occurs relatively infrequently when compared to the rest of
the world. There are about 10 new cases per 100,000 people
in the US per year, 7 per 100,000 people are males and 3 are females. Here are
some other countries for comparison (modified from Ref. 1, page 885). As it
can be seen on this table, in Mozambique liver cancer is 16-fold more common and
in China about 5-fold more common than in the US. On the other hand Brazil
and Germany have lower rates than the US. Women always have 2 to 3 times lower
liver cancer rates around the world, which is something that has not yet been
explained.
| Annual
new cases of liver cancer in various countries |
| Country: | Males: | Females: |
|
(persons per 100,000) | | United
States | 7 | 3 |
| South East Africa (Mozambique) | 113 | 31 |
| Brazil (Sao Paulo) | 4 | 3 |
| Korea | 14 | 3 |
| Japan | 7 | 2 |
| China (Shanghai) | 34 | 12 |
| Germany (Hamburg) | 5 | 2 |
The death rate in the US for males is about 2 deaths per 100,000
people, which shows that more than half survive. This is largely so because of
the improved surgical therapy involving either early partial resection of the
affected liver or early liver transplantation. Causes: Apart
from carcinogens, which attack the liver cells directly, there are two other major
causes: viral hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver. Hepatitis B and C are the
most common causes in countries with a high rate of liver cancer. It can be linked
to unhygienic conditions such as contaminated water (mainly endemic hepatitis
B). Life styles of prostitutes and unsterile injection techniques in the drug
scene play a major role in the transmission of hepatitis C. Chronic inflammation
of viral hepatitis leads to cirrhosis of the liver and a high percentage of people
with cirrhosis develop liver cancer. It has been determined that the high rate of liver cancer in Asia
or Africa is linked to endemic hepatitis B and contamination of food with mycotoxins,
which is found in stored grains, swirled up dust from soil as well as unpurified
drinking water. Researchers found that Chinese who migrate from China to Hawaii
will have a low liver cancer rate within 1 or 2 generations. Conversely, Jews
who are born in Israel have half the rate than those who are born in Europe, Asia
or Africa. (Ref.1, p.886). These type of studies help to identify if a disease
is caused by genetic factors or the environment. The major factor with liver cancer
is the environment and people's life style.
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