Liver Cancer Mortality on the Rise

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Mortality from liver cancer in the U.S. increased 43% from 2000 to 2016, according to new data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Using death certificates, researchers examined trends in liver cancer mortality in adults aged 25 and over. Among the other findings:

• The age-adjusted mortality rate rose from 7.2 to 10.3 per 100,000 standard population from 2000 to 2016.

• Hispanic adults surpassed Asian or Pacific Islander adults as having the highest rate of liver cancer mortality at 14.6 per 100,000 standard population. Meanwhile, non-Hispanic whites and blacks had the largest increases during this period, 48% and 43%, respectively.

• The mortality rate was roughly twice as high in men as in women, but both sexes experienced steady increases.