"Patients with metabolic abnormalities, 4.7 times higher risk of liver cancer"

Jul 11, 2024

A study found that the risk of developing liver cancer is 4.7 times higher if the metabolism has fatty liver (MASLD).

A research team led by Professor Jeong Seok-song of Korea University School of Medicine's medical information class (first author Jeong Seok-song of Korea University of Medicine, co-corresponding author Park Sang-min of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, and Kim Won of gastroenterology at Boramae Hospital) used the National Health Insurance Corporation database to analyze changes in metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease conditions based on fatty liver index and cardiovascular metabolic risk factors.

The research team diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma, died, or followed up until December 31, 2020, with a total of 5,084,410 subjects who underwent medical examinations in consecutive two-year cycles (2009-2010, 2011-2012) from 2009 to 2012.

The subjects were divided into four categories (continuously without the disease, metabolic fatty liver disease was present at the time of the first medical examination, but disappeared at the second medical examination, new metabolic fatty liver disease, and continuous metabolic fatty liver disease) to analyze the association between the risk of hepatocellular cancer.

As a result of the study, hepatocellular carcinoma was newly developed in 4801 of the subjects, and subjects with persistent metabolic abnormalities and fatty liver disease had the highest risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. The incidence rate was 4.7 times higher than that of subjects without the disease.

There was also a significant increase in the risk of new cases of metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease and the disappearance of metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease at the second examination. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma increased 2.3 times and 2.2 times, respectively.

Furthermore, patients with metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease recovered also showed a higher incidence than those without the disease. This suggests that it provides additional information to further segment and assess the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with metabolic abnormal fatty liver disease.

Professor Jeong Seok-song of the Medical Informatics Class at the Korea University of Medicine emphasized that "the results of this study provide important clues to better understand and manage the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with fatty liver disease accompanied by metabolic dysfunction.".

The study was recently published in the online edition of the international academic journal 'Clinical and Molecular Heptology (IF=14)'.



'Patients with metabolic abnormalities, 4.7 times higher risk of liver cancer'
From left, Professor Jeong Seok-song of Korea University Medical School, Professor Park Sang-min of Seoul National University Hospital, and Professor Kim Won of Boramae Hospital.


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