Britons are being warned to be vigilant for symptoms of a lethal illness as startling new statistics reveal that death rates have soared in the last two decades. Cancer Research UK revealed that liver cancer has claimed approximately 81,300 lives across the UK within 20 the past 20 years, making it the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer death in the country.
The charity also projects a grim future, with an estimated 135,000 fatalities expected over the next 15 years. This trend is particularly alarming given that death rates for most other types of cancer are on the decline, according to the charity.
It is believed that up to half of all liver cancer cases could be prevented through certain lifestyle modifications. Key risk factors include excess weight and obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
“This January, try to build healthy habits that last to reduce your risk of cancer,” advised Sophia Lowes, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK. “Keeping a healthy weight, stopping smoking, and cutting back on alcohol can make all the difference.”
Additionally, it’s crucial to recognize potential early warning signs of liver cancer to enable prompt medical intervention. The NHS cautions that liver cancer may present no symptoms or they may be difficult to detect.
Nonetheless, three particular signs to look out for in the abdominal area include: a lump on the right side of the abdomen, pain on the upper right side of the abdomen, and a significantly swollen abdomen unrelated to eating patterns.
“The symptoms are the same if the liver cancer starts in the liver (primary liver cancer) or spreads from another part of the body (secondary liver cancer),” states the NHS.
Other symptoms of liver cancer can include:
- The whites of your eyes turning yellow or your skin turning yellow, which may be less obvious on brown or black skin (jaundice) – you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and Paler poo than usual
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- Feeling generally unwell or having symptoms like flu
- Feeling or being sick
- Pain in your right shoulder
- Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling full very quickly when eating
The NHS emphasised: “Having them does not definitely mean you have liver cancer. But it’s important to get them checked by a GP. This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.”
Cancer Research UK has warned that older age groups are seeing steeper increases in liver cancer cases and deaths, possibly due to their past higher rates of smoking and drinking.
The NHS says you are also more likely to develop liver cancer if you:
- Are over 60 – it’s most common in people over 85
- Are a man
- Have certain medical conditions, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, diabetes, a parasite in the liver (liver flukes) or HIV
- Have a brother, sister or parent who had primary liver cancer