Canada is facing a tsunami of liver disease and cancer: U of T expert

This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.

The Conversation with U of T’s Dr. Morris Sherman

Deaths from liver cancer in Canada have doubled over the past 25 years. And to make matters worse, there’s an epidemic of liver cancer on the horizon if action isn’t taken soon.

While less people are dying from most major cancers – such as breast cancer and lung cancer – liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC) is bucking the trend and heading in the wrong direction.

In 1993, liver cancer rates in Canadian men were five cases per 100,000 population. By 2017 this had risen to 9.9 cases.

For women, rates are much lower, but the trend is the same. In 1993, 1.6 Canadian women per 100,000 were diagnosed with liver cancer; by 2017 this had almost doubled. In hard numbers this means that last year 1,900 men in Canada were diagnosed with liver cancer and 580 women. A total of 950 men died from liver cancer and 270 women.

Also contributing to Canada’s liver cancer problem is the obesity epidemic: About two thirds of Canadian men and half of women are thought to be overweight or obese.

At this week’s Global Hepatitis Summit in Toronto (June 14-17), I will be among a group of liver cancer experts exploring these trends.