Common medical screen predicts liver cancer risk

HOUSTON — Enzyme levels in the blood routinely monitored by physicians as liver function indicators are also the best predictor of liver cancer risk for the general population, a team of scientists in Taiwan and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“These two enzymes alone predicted 91%  of liver cancer cases in our prospective study,” said paper senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of MD Anderson’s Department of Epidemiology. “If our research is confirmed in other studies, we’d have a measure for liver cancer risk that’s easy to apply via a simple blood test that’s already in widespread clinical use.”

While hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infection are predictors of cancer risk among people considered at high risk of developing liver cancer, the enzyme levels outperformed both HBV and HCV infection as risk predictors in a general population. Between 30 and 40% of people who develop liver cancer are not infected with either virus. There has been no way to assess their risk, Dr Wu noted.

According to the National Cancer Institute in the U.S., 5-year survival rates for liver cancer patients range from:
- 27.7%  of those with disease limited to the liver upon diagnosis;
- 10%  of those whose disease has spread to lymph nodes; and
- only 2.1%  of those with disease that has spread to other organs.

“Knowing their risk would allow people to respond with lifestyle changes to address other risk factors, such as stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, engaging in physical activity and better managing diabetes,” she said.

According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 28,750 new cases of liver cancer will be diagnosed in 2012 and 20,550 people will die from the disease.

Worldwide, an estimated 749,000 cases were diagnosed in 2008, the latest year available, and 695,000 people died, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Countries in Asia, Africa and Southern Europe have the highest incidence of the disease. (Newswise)