Epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma: a western perspective

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common cause of liver disease worldwide, and represents an increasingly important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As the prevalence of NAFLD has increased, the burden of NAFLD-related HCC has been rising in parallel. This is particularly evident in Western countries, where NAFLD is estimated to account for 10%-59% of all HCC. NAFLD-related HCC can occur in the presence or absence of cirrhosis, and, while those with cirrhosis remain at the greatest risk, factors such as steatohepatitis, age, genetic polymorphisms, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity also appear have an impact on the risk of developing HCC in NAFLD. In this review, we present the epidemiology of NAFLD-related HCC from a Western perspective, highlighting gaps in current knowledge and future directions for research in this field.

Keywords

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease / steatohepatitis / cirrhosis / hepatocellular carcinoma / epidemiology

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