RSS feedIn the United States the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, primary liver cancer) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC, bile duct cancer) is increasing. While metabolic syndrome is recognized as a risk factor for HCC and is postulated as one for ICC, the exact risk in the population has not been quantified.
Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) – Medicare database, researchers from the National Cancer Institute in USA examined the association between metabolic syndrome and the development of HCC and ICC in the US population (Hepatology 2011; 54: 463 – 471). They found 3649 HCC cases, 743 ICC cases and 195,953 comparison persons meeting the study criteria. The study found that metabolic syndrome was significantly more common among individuals who developed HCC (37.1%) and ICC (29.7%) than among the comparison, non-cancer group (17.1%, p < 0.0001). This means that, if you have metabolic syndrome, the risk of developing HCC is significantly increased by 113%, while the risk of developing ICC is significantly increased by 56% (p < 0.0001).
People with metabolic syndrome tend to be overweight or obese. With this habitus they are at increased risk of developing steatosis (fatty liver), steatohepatitis (inflammation within a fatty liver), diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension, joint problems and certain type of cancers, such as colorectal, endometrial, breast and hepatocellular carcinoma.
In my practice the following scenario during a consultation is common:-
Mr X, having just been told that he has to eat healthily, reduce his food portion, partake in daily exercise and gradually reduce weight for his fatty liver, would retort ‘Just give me some pills!’. After explaining that at present there are no magic pills for treating fatty liver, Mr X looks incredulously at me, thinking ‘You have to be kidding me or you must be a useless doctor’.
Indeed many patients do not believe that there is no approved and effective medicine at the moment for treating fatty liver worldwide. If you control your food intake, you can control your weight. If you don’t get overweight or obese, your risk of developing metabolic syndrome is greatly reduced. It’s up to you!
