October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month
Join with the AACR to find better ways to prevent and treat liver cancer
Primary liver cancer occurs in adults in two forms—hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of adult primary liver cancer. It is relatively rare in the United States. However, the incidence of liver cancer is rising, principally in relation to the spread of hepatitis C .
The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It filters harmful substances from the blood, produces bile that helps in the digestion of fats, and stores sugar that the body uses for energy.
The National Cancer Institute estimated that 42,240 new cases of liver cancer and intrahepatic bile duct cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2025. Approximately 30,090 people are estimated to die from these cancers. The five-year relative survival rate is 22%.
Having hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or cirrhosis are significant risk factors for adult primary liver cancer. It is more common in men than women. In the United States, liver cancer is also more common among American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics than among other population groups.
Personal Stories of Liver Cancer
Lorrinda Gray-Davis of Temple, Texas was 49 when she was diagnosed with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common liver cancer type, in July 2017. In August 2018, she had a lifesaving liver transplant and has devoted herself to organ transplant advocacy and outreach ever since. Read her story in the AACR’s magazine Cancer Today,
Anibal Torres of Humacao, Puerto Rico, was struggling with liver cancer when he enrolled in an immunotherapy clinical trial. His tumor has shrunk, and he says, “The treatment is working. Look at me. I’m living proof.” Read his story in the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2024.
More on liver cancer
- Patients with liver cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors before surgery had similar outcomes to patients who received surgery upfront, according to results from a retrospective study published in the AACR journal Cancer Research Communications. This includes those who would not have been eligible for surgery by conventional criteria. Learn more about the potential implications of these findings for patients on Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR’s official blog.
- Adding stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to chemotherapy improves overall survival and slows cancer progression in patients with advanced liver cancer, according to a recent clinical trial. Read more in Cancer Today magazine: Radiation for Advanced Liver Cancer.
- On Believe In Progress: An AACR Foundation Podcast, Andrea Wilson Woods describes how the loss of her sister to cancer motivated her to start Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Organization to help patients and families navigate liver cancer.
How the AACR supports Liver Cancer Research
- Tegwinde Rebeca Compaore, PhD, of the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé in Burkina-Faso, received an AACR Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat) in 2024. This supports her study of genomics-derived hepatocellular carcinoma risk biomarkers in Africa.
- Longyue Lily Cao, MD, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, received an AACR-Genentech Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship in 2024. Her work is focused on studying the therapeutic benefits of innate immunity stimuli in hepatocellular carcinoma.
For more information
Please see our page on liver cancer for more information on this disease and its prevention, screening, and treatment.
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