Fatty liver disease, diabetes and a triglycerides level of above 160 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) are three major risk factors for developing liver cancer, and the disease’s progression does not necessarily include chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) said yesterday.
Liver cancer has been the second-leading cause of cancer deaths for many years, and about 85 percent of cases have been associated with chronic hepatitis viral infections — primarily chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C — which usually progress to cirrhosis before developing into liver cancer, it said.
However, as more cases of liver cancer that did not involve chronic hepatitis viral infection were diagnosed, the institute in 2005 teamed up with five medical centers to study the cases to identify other key risk factors of liver cancer, it added.
NHRI investigator and attending physician Huang Shiu-feng (黃秀芬) said the team compared data from 411 liver cancer patients who did not have chronic hepatitis infection with 840 patients who had hepatitis infections, and discovered that risk factors for metabolic syndrome also apply to non-viral causes of liver cancer.
People who are over 60 and have at least two of the three risk factors should regularly undergo liver cancer screenings, Huang said.
The researchers also analyzed liver cancer patients who were not addicted to alcohol and did not have cirrhosis, and found that among people who had at least two of the risk factors in this group, more than 70 percent of the men and more than 90 percent of the women had liver cancer without hepatitis infection, she said.
The findings prove that in addition to commonly known risk factors — chronic hepatitis, alcohol addiction and cirrhosis — the three non-viral risk factors they have identified point at increased risk of developing liver cancer, Huang said.
Since Taiwan follows a universal hepatitis B vaccination policy and as new drugs can cure hepatitis C, the government should raise awareness in patients with fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome so that they can learn about the increased risks of developing liver cancer and undergo cancer screenings.
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Liver Cancer Research Center director Yeh Chau-Ting (葉昭廷) said about 60 percent of adults in Taiwan have fatty liver, but those who have fatty liver accompanied by inflammation have a higher risk of developing liver cancer.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS