Liver cancer death rates among adults continue to climb nationwide, according to new data released by the CDC. Past studies have linked it to high rates of hepatitis C infection among baby boomers and the growing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The new numbers reveal other demographic trends in liver cancer deaths, and point to the growing need to have updated research in the face of new trends in hepatitis and liver disease:
- Death rates for liver cancer rose roughly 40 percent between 2000 and 2016. There were 15 liver cancer deaths per 100,000 men and 6.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2016, up from 10.5 and 4.5 in 2000, respectively.
- Deaths fell among some groups. Liver cancer deaths fell 22 percent among Asian and Pacific Islander adults between 2000 and 2016.
- The death rate remained unchanged for adults ages 25 to 44. Among adults ages 55 to 64, the death rate rose 109 percent from 2000 to 2013, but has stayed stable through 2016.
Read the full NCHS data brief here.
