Liver Cancer News and Research

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Liver cancer is more common in older people. Over half of people newly diagnosed with liver cancer are age 65 and over. Liver cancer is more common in men than in women. Liver cancer rates are highest among Asians and Pacific Islanders, most likely because of higher prevalence of viral Hepatitis infection. Liver cancer rates are lower among whites than Blacks or Asians and Pacific Islanders. At this time, we do not know exactly what causes cancer of the liver. There are several different types of liver cancer. The most common type is associated with long-term excessive alcoholic beverage use, scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), and Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus infection. Long-term use of anabolic steroids can also increase the risk of getting liver cancer. Smoking is also believed to increase the risk of getting liver cancer.

Men face higher risk of late-stage cancer diagnoses than women

Between 2015 and 2022, men were more likely than women to be diagnosed with regional and/or distant stages of 20 nonreproductive solid cancer types in the United States, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

6 Jul 2026

Altering gut microbes could improve immunotherapy responses in liver cancer

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has reshaped the treatment landscape for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), offering new hope where few options existed.

30 Jun 2026

Scientists map how cellular senescence and stemness interact in disease

A new review was published in Volume 18 of Aging on May 30, 2026, titled "The love and hate relationship between cellular senescence and stemness."

29 Jun 2026

Lipid nanoparticles enhance immune response against lung cancer

Researchers at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy have developed a new strategy that helps the immune system recognize and attack lung cancer tumors more effectively.

25 Jun 2026

Common drug shows promise in preventing post-surgical liver failure

A multi-center study, co-led by researchers at Mayo Clinic and Michigan State University, found that patients who received tranexamic acid during liver surgery were three times less likely to develop post-hepatectomy liver failure than patients who received a placebo.

25 Jun 2026

Synthetic protein hybrid offers promising treatment for liver diseases

The research group led by CIC biomaGUNE's Ikerbasque Research Professor Aitziber L. Cortajarena has developed an innovative anti-fibrotic and anti-tumor treatment by binding a synthetic protein to gold nanoclusters (small aggregates of approximately 6 atoms of gold).

23 Jun 2026

Immunotherapy helps bridge cancer patients to curative liver transplantation

Liver transplantation remains one of the most powerful curative options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because it removes both the tumor and the diseased liver.

22 Jun 2026

Prebiotic fiber supplement reduces harmful gut metabolites and improves liver health

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, was the first to investigate the effects of prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) on fatty liver in humans.

16 Jun 2026

Engineered Salmonella delivers cancer-fighting viruses to deep tumors

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have designed non-toxic Salmonella bacteria to deliver viruses that are safe to humans but potent against liver and pancreatic cancer tumors - two cancers with an extremely poor prognosis.

3 Jun 2026

Understanding mitochondrial biology in alcohol-associated liver disease and cancer

For decades, giant mitochondria-known as megamitochondria-have been recognized in liver biopsies from patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

1 Jun 2026

Chronic liver disease threatens millions across Europe, report finds

Europe is facing a growing chronic liver disease threat, according to a new Series published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, that engaged more than 75 co-authors from 30 countries and was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation.

25 May 2026

DNA-guided CRISPR system targets RNA and expands Cas12 beyond gene editing

Researchers developed ΨDNA, a DNA-based CRISPR guide that allows Cas12 enzymes to target RNA with high specificity while retaining compatibility with DNA-editing workflows. The platform detected HCV RNA in clinical samples and enabled programmable RNA knockdown, multiplex targeting, and RNA modification in human cells.

18 May 2026

New imaging technique maps 38000 liver cells to solve fibrosis

The liver is often called a "silent organ," as it can sustain significant damage without obvious symptoms. But when injury is prolonged, whether from alcohol, poor diet, or chronic hepatitis virus infection, it triggers fibrosis: a progressive hardening and scarring of liver tissue.

14 May 2026

Adult weight gain strongly linked to higher obesity-related cancer risk

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that people who gain the highest amount of weight across adulthood are at greatly increased risk of certain obesity related cancers.

13 May 2026

Biliary epithelial cells found to actively prevent liver fibrosis development

Many liver diseases share a common characteristic: fibrosis, that is, the progressive accumulation of scarring in the liver tissue.

28 Apr 2026

Delaying hepatitis B birth vaccines increases infant infection risks

Delaying hepatitis B vaccination after birth increases infections among newborns and decreases their survival rates and quality of life, according to a new Cornell University study.

27 Apr 2026

Restoring gut microbiome may prevent liver cancer in mice

Restoring the gut microbiome to its youthful state may hold the key to slowing aging and preventing liver cancer, one of the fastest-growing cancers worldwide, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026.

23 Apr 2026

AI model analyzes single-cell tumor data to predict cancer survival

In a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study, researchers developed a cancer assessment tool that can identify high-risk patients and the tumor cells linked to that risk.

22 Apr 2026

New method predicts cancer patient survival using advanced molecular data

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind method to predict cancer patient survival using advanced molecular data from individual cells.

21 Apr 2026

Why do the deadliest cancers still get less NIH research funding?

Researchers found that NIH funding for major US cancers does not consistently align with lethality, with highly fatal cancers such as pancreatic cancer and small-cell lung cancer receiving far less funding per estimated death than breast or prostate cancer. The study argues that incidence alone is not enough and that funding decisions should better incorporate mortality, survival, and mortality-to-incidence ratios.

21 Apr 2026