Dr. Kelley Discusses the Rising Incidence of HCC

R. Kate Kelley, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, and having obesity and risk factors for metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and dyslipidemia, can lead to HCC. Obesity can lead to a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is a spectrum of diseases, such as steatohepatitis.

Just like alcoholic hepatitis, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, steatohepatitis can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and the accumulation of mutations that can eventually lead to cancer. Associated conditions with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are now the number 1 cause of HCC in the United States, says Kelley.