Estimating the impact of public health interventions to prevent liver cancer

Key messages

• Liver cancer is the fastest growing cause of cancer death in Australia and more research is needed to better understand how we can help prevent this disease in people at highest risk.

• The most common type of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), often develops in people with underlying liver disease caused by modifiable risk factors, including excessive alcohol consumption, excess body fatness and the metabolic syndrome.
• Predictive modelling estimated that evidence-based interventions could reduce HCC deaths in Australia by 100-500 deaths annually, with the highest reductions a result of combining primary and secondary prevention activities.
• The predictive model developed provides an evidence base to support recommendations for future local liver cancer control interventions, including health and economic estimates.
• This work shows that interventions designed to reduce the prevalence of alcohol consumption and excess body fatness have the potential to reduce the liver cancer burden, particularly when targeted at patients with reversible early-stage liver disease.