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Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: How Common?

  • Fatty Liver Disease (SA Harrison and J George, Section Editors)
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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries. NAFLD can progress to cirrhosis and its related complications, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Review of available evidence suggests an increased risk of HCC among patients with NAFLD-related cirrhosis, although this risk is smaller than risk of HCC among patients with viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis. Preliminary evidence suggests that a proportion of NAFLD-related HCC could develop in the absence of advanced liver disease or cirrhosis. NAFLD-related HCC is expected to increase, given the increasing prevalence of NAFLD; but this increase is not yet evident. Risk factors for HCC in NAFLD include older age, coexisting obesity or diabetes, high hepatic iron, and the presence of cirrhosis.

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Abbreviations

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

NAFLD:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

NASH:

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

CC:

Cryptogenic cirrhosis

LD:

Liver disease

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported in part by a VA Clinical Research and Development Merit Review Award (H-22934, PI: H. El-Serag, MD, MPH), the National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K01 DK078154-05 and K24 DK081736-01, PIs, D. White and H. El-Serag, respectively), the Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center (P30 Center Grant DK56338), and the facilities and resources of the Houston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations (CIN13-413). We thank Adrian Rideau, BA, for her administrative assistance.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

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Conflict of Interest

Sahil Mittal, Donna L. White, Fasiha Kanwal, Norman Sussman, and Hashem B. El-Serag declare no conflicts of interest.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease played no role in design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, or decision to report these results.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Program, Houston VA Health Services Research and Development Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Sahil Mittal, Donna L. White, Fasiha Kanwal & Hashem B. El-Serag

  2. Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Sahil Mittal, Donna L. White, Fasiha Kanwal, Norman Sussman & Hashem B. El-Serag

  3. Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Section of Health Services Research, Houston, TX, USA

    Sahil Mittal, Donna L. White, Fasiha Kanwal & Hashem B. El-Serag

  4. Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases (CTRID), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Blvd. (MS 152), Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Sahil Mittal, Donna L. White, Fasiha Kanwal & Hashem B. El-Serag

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  1. Sahil Mittal
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  2. Donna L. White
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  5. Hashem B. El-Serag
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Correspondence to Sahil Mittal.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Fatty Liver Disease

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Mittal, S., White, D.L., Kanwal, F. et al. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: How Common?. Curr Hepatology Rep 14, 87–98 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-015-0259-5

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