Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer as well as the third highest cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. In particular, a subtype of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for around 80% of all liver cancer cases. Given the increasing disease burden of hepatocellular carcinoma globally, a Commission consisting of experts in a wide range of fields – from clinical medicine to public health – has now been established to tackle this issue.
Recently, in a comprehensive report published online in The Lancet on July 28, 2025, the members of this Commission, chaired by Professor Masatoshi Kudo from Kindai University as well as Professor Jian Zhou and Professor Jia Fan from Fudan University in China, presented their findings, emphasizing the need to tackle the disease burden posed by hepatocellular carcinoma. The content of this report involved a systematic process consisting of idea generation, literature reviews, evidence scoping, novel data synthesis, modeling, as well as case study analyses to provide real-world examples.
First, the authors of this report conducted analyses to project future trends in hepatocellular carcinoma cases by the year 2050. More specifically, they aimed to define some concrete goals for reducing the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. One of these goals, as defined in the report, states that an annual reduction of at least 2% is required in the age-standardized incidence rates of liver cancer to tackle its growing disease burden. On a more positive note, there are a number of modifiable risk factors for liver cancer, including hepatitis B and C as well as alcohol use. "Based on a conservative estimate, at least 60% of liver cancer is preventable via control of these risk factors," notes Prof. Kudo.
Given these projections and goals for the year 2050, the authors presented a set of ten evidence-based recommendations to tackle hepatocellular carcinoma that fall under a few broad themes: disease prevention, early detection, and treatment. Additionally, they This highlighted the need to tackle disparities that exist in terms of access to these three aspects of healthcare. Notably, this is also covered by the ten recommendations.
