Since the year 2000, the death rate for liver cancer has surged by 43 percent. Men are twice as likely to die from liver cancer as women. It is the second biggest cause of cancer death globally.

When we look at 5 year survival statistics, fewer people in the USA are dying from cancer in general. The opposite is true for liver cancer. More people than ever are dying from the disease. In the USA, death rates have risen for white (48%), black (43%), and Hispanic (27%) adults, but the mortality rate for Asians and Pacific Islanders has decreased by 22%.

Interestingly, at 16.8 per 100,000, the District of Columbia had the highest liver cancer mortality in 2016.

These statistics come from a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control. Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MD is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and has commented on these statistics. He cited non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH or fatty liver) due to obesity and diabetes as the most important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. He went on to say "Unfortunately, the obesity epidemic is ongoing and is increasing, with a forecasted rate between 40% and 50% by 2030”.

What causes liver cancer?

Obesity, fatty liver and type 2 diabetes are big risk factors for liver cancer. Infection with hepatitis B or C also raise the risk. There are new and effective drugs available for hepatitis, but their cost keeps them out of reach for a large percentage of Americans. Fortunately there are natural remedies at only a fraction of the cost, which help reduce cancer risk in hepatitis sufferers. I have written an entire ebook about my recommendations for hepatitis, which you can download and read for free here.

Liver cancer can start in the bile ducts inside your liver or gallbladder. This is more likely to occur in people with long standing gallbladder inflammation or infection, overgrowth of bad gut bugs (SIBO) or Helicobacter pylori.

In the report, Abou-Alfa stated that early diagnosis can lead to cure, via surgery, radiofrequency ablation of a tumor, or liver transplant. "The importance of continued screening should be stressed to patients with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus."

How to protect yourself from liver cancer

Liver cancer is often difficult to treat because once detected, it has often spread throughout much of the liver. The most important way to reduce your risk is to avoid contracting hepatitis B or C, and avoid developing a fatty liver. If your liver is fatty, it means there is too much inflammation inside. If liver cells are chronically inflamed, they are at greater risk of becoming cancerous.

Here are my recommendations:

  • Find out if you have a fatty liver. Ask your doctor for a blood test for liver function and an ultrasound scan of your liver. In the vast majority of cases, fatty liver can be reversed. I’ve written detailed information on how to do that here and in my book called Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. You need to follow a lower carbohydrate diet and take the right herbs and nutrients to repair and regenerate the liver. I have formulated Livatone Plus with the clinically effective dose of St Mary’s thistle, plus other supportive nutrients to reduce inflammation in the liver. It is important to avoid or reduce alcohol, as it can worsen any liver condition.
  • Glutathione is a powerful detoxifier and anti-inflammatory agent produced in your body. It is brilliant for reducing liver inflammation. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is the building block of glutathione and helps to raise your blood level of this important molecule.
  • Make sure you have a healthy gallbladder and you manufacture healthy bile. Liver cancer can start inside the bile ducts. Don’t just ignore a gallbladder condition. Ox bile is very beneficial for improving the quality of your bile. It helps to make the bile thinner, so it flows more freely. It also helps to reduce gallstones and biliary sludge.
  • You may be insulin resistant. The majority of people with a fatty liver are. If you have elevated blood levels of insulin, this instructs your liver to manufacture fat. It also predisposes you to type 2 diabetes. Berberine is a very effective natural supplement for reversing insulin resistance.
  • Selenium helps protect against liver cancer. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people with higher blood levels of selenium are less likely to develop liver cancer. Most of you know that Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium. However, this largely depends on whether the soil they were grown in was high in selenium. Most parts of the world are experiencing declining selenium soil levels. That means it’s hard to get enough of this essential mineral through diet. Prof. Dr. Lutz Schomburg of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology said, “According to our data, the third of the population with lowest selenium status have a five- to ten-fold increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma — also known as liver cancer.” 5 to 10 fold increased risk! That means increasing your selenium intake can offer significant protection against this typically fatal type of cancer. Other research has shown selenium helps to reduce the risk of colon cancer and autoimmune thyroid disease.

References:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/othercancers/74072?fbclid=IwAR1c5pSZBw9LCc2W6kNPIUn7MT-8jBIKd5x1TaAlro2EG6MOXOoaleJYnaI
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160831110831.htm