Liver and Bile
Hepatology. 2023;77(4):1150–63
Global burden of liver cancer in males and females: Changing etiological basis and the growing contribution of NASH
Background and aim: The etiology of liver diseases has changed in recent years, but its impact on the comparative burden of liver cancer between males and females is unclear. The authors estimated sex differences in the burden of liver cancer across 204 countries and territories from 2010 to 2019. Approach and result: They analyzed temporal trends in the burden of liver cancer using the methodology framework of the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study, and estimated annual frequencies and age-standardized rates (ASRs) of liver cancer incidence, death, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by sex, country, region, and etiology of liver disease. Globally in 2019, the frequency of incident cases, deaths, and DALYs due to liver cancer were 376,483, 333,672, and 9,048,723 in males versus 157,881, 150,904, and 3,479,699 in females. From 2010 to 2019, the incidence ASRs in males increased while death and DALY ASRs remained stable; incidence, death, and DALY ASRs in females decreased. Death ASRs for both sexes increased only in the Americas and remained stable or declined in remaining regions. In 2019, hepatitis B was the leading cause of liver cancer death in males, and hepatitis C in females. From 2010 to 2019, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) had the fastest growing death ASRs in males and females. The ratio of female-to-male death ASRs in 2019 was lowest in hepatitis B (0.2) and highest in NASH (0.9).
Conclusions: The overall burden of liver cancer is higher in males, although incidence and death age-standardized rates from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-associated liver cancer in females approach that of males.
DOI: 10.1002/hep.32758