This disease killed around 81,300 people across the UK in the past two decades.
Brits are being urged to look out for some of the telltale signs of a deadly disease as shocking new figures show death rates have doubled in just 20 years. Cancer Research UK has warned that liver cancer killed around 81,300 people across the UK in the past two decades.
This makes it the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK. And it’s expected to kill even more in the next 15 years, causing around 135,000 deaths.
This is particularly concerning as most other cancer types are seeing a decrease in death rates, the charity said. Around a half of all cases are thought to be preventable by making certain lifestyle changes.
Excess weight and obesity, smoking, and drinking alcohol are all major culprits for the disease. “This January, try to build healthy habits that last to reduce your risk of cancer,” Sophia Lowes, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said.
“Keeping a healthy weight, stopping smoking, and cutting back on alcohol can make all the difference.” It is also vital to be aware of the potential warning signs of liver cancer so you can seek treatment as soon as possible.
The NHS warns that liver cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be “hard to spot”. However, there are three signs that can appear in the tummy:
- A lump in the right side of your tummy
- Pain at the top right side of your tummy
- A very swollen tummy that is not related to when you eat.
“The symptoms are the same if the liver cancer starts in the liver (primary liver cancer) or spreads from another part of the body (secondary liver cancer),” the NHS says.
Other symptoms of liver cancer can include:
- The whites of your eyes turning yellow or your skin turning yellow, which may be less obvious on brown or black skin (jaundice) – you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and Paler poo than usual
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- Feeling generally unwell or having symptoms like flu
- Feeling or being sick
- Pain in your right shoulder
- Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling full very quickly when eating.
But many of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by different conditions. The NHS adds: “Having them does not definitely mean you have liver cancer. But it’s important to get them checked by a GP.
“This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.”
Cancer Research UK warned that older age groups are also seeing steeper increases in liver cancer cases and deaths. It is thought this could be partly due to their past higher rates of smoking and drinking.
The NHS says you are also more likely to develop liver cancer if you:
- Are over 60 – it’s most common in people over 85
- Are a man
- Have certain medical conditions, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, diabetes, a parasite in the liver (liver flukes) or HIV
- Have a brother, sister or parent who had primary liver cancer.
