Alcohol abuse and obesity are set to overtake hepatitis B and C as the primary causes of cancer of the liver, the Taiwan Epidemiology Association said yesterday.
The association released a “national liver cancer prevention map,” which divides Taiwan into four areas: the northern area (Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung), the southeastern coastal area (Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung) and the eastern mountainous area (Yilan, Hualien and Taitung), and outlying area (Penghu).
The map depicts the main causes of liver cancer for residents in these regions.
Hepatitis B is listed as the primary cause of liver cancer among people living in the north, while exposure to aflatoxin is accountable for most cases in Penghu.
In addition to hepatitis C, being overweight or obese is a common risk factor for liver cancer among people living on the southeastern coast, the map indicated.
Alcohol abuse and obesity are responsible for causing most liver cancer cases in the east, where hepatitis B and C are only a minor cause, it showed.
“The number of quacks in the southeast in the early days and the common practice of treating people who feel ill with intravenous drips led to a high occurrence of hepatitis C in the region because these practices fueled transmission of the disease via needles,” Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital deputy superintendent Chien Rong-nan (簡榮南) told a press conference in Taipei.
However, thanks to the government’s 1986 implementation of a nationwide hepatitis B vaccination program and the introduction of hepatitis C medications, viral hepatitis should gradually take a backseat when it comes to liver cancer prevention, Chien said.
Nonetheless, people should be particularly vigilant against obesity-induced fatty liver disease, which can cause liver cells to burst and become inflamed and lead its sufferers on a path toward the notorious liver trilogy of hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, he said.
“At present, nearly 40 percent of the population have developed fatty livers, far higher than hepatitis B’s 15 to 20 percent and hepatitis C’s 2 to 4 percent,” Chien said.
Chien also urged people to refrain from excessive drinking, as alcohol and its toxic metabolite, acetaldehyde, can result in alcoholic fatty liver and eventually lead to hepatic fibrosis and liver cancer.
Taiwan Liver Cancer Association director-general Wang Chung-kwe (王鐘貴) said the percentage of liver cancer caused by alcoholic hepatitis, currently at 5 percent, is also expected to climb.
“Taiwanese men’s rate of drinking is significantly higher than that of their female counterparts, by 26 percent. They should exercise restraint when drinking if they do not want to end up having liver cancer,” Wang said.
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