Global trends in the burden of liver cancer

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to describe the influence of geography, socio-economic development, and demographic shift on the trends in global incidence, mortality, and prevalence of liver cancer (LC). METHODS Data (2012-2030) relating to LC and demographic shifts based on WHO regions and HDI areas were extracted from GLOBOCAN 2012 and analyzed to evaluate trends in incidence, mortality, and prevalence. RESULTS The results of our study document a rising global burden of LC with the maximum impact in the WPRO region. We did not observe a definite association between LC and higher socio-economic status with the highest burden in the MHD region. For the MHD region, we noticed age reversal in burden from the younger age group currently to the older age group in the future (2030). Another finding is the high burden and early onset of disease in some low-income countries such as Mongolia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. CONCLUSION The results of our study demonstrate a rising global burden of LC with some significant but uneven trends based on geography, age, and socio-economic status. This information can be used to shape policy and aid strategic targeting of resources to areas with the highest burden.