Hepatology International

, Volume 7, Supplement 2, pp 823–832 | Cite as

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma: a sleeping tiger in the Asia Pacific

  • Roslyn Vongsuvanh
  • David van der Poorten
  • Jacob George
Review Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

The epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Asia Pacific will undergo significant change over the next few decades as the prevalence of viral hepatitis declines and the burden of metabolic diseases increases. As the Asia Pacific embraces continued affluence, obesity and diabetes rates are burgeoning, becoming increasingly important to the incidence of HCC. Obesity and diabetes are established risk factors for HCC, either as substrates for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or as independent carcinogens themselves. This review summarises the epidemiological data on changing HCC trends in the Asia Pacific, particularly as it pertains to the emerging problem of NAFLD-related HCC.

Keywords

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis Hepatocellular carcinoma Asia Pacific Obesity Diabetes 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Robert W. Storr Bequest to the Sydney Medical Foundation, a National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (1006200, 632630, 1047417, 1049857), a Strategic Research Partnership Grant and an Innovator Grant from the Cancer Council NSW, and Translational Cancer Grants from the Cancer Institute NSW and Cancer Australia.

Conflict of interest

Roslyn Vongsuvanh, David van der Poorten, and Jacob George declare no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, to disclose.

Compliance with Ethical Requirements

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Copyright information

© Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Roslyn Vongsuvanh
    • 1
  • David van der Poorten
    • 1
  • Jacob George
    • 1
  1. 1.Storr Liver Unit, Westmead Millennium InstituteUniversity of Sydney at Westmead HospitalWestmeadAustralia

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