According to the American Cancer Society, more than 42,200 new cases of primary liver cancer are diagnosed and there are an estimated 30,200 deaths from the disease each year. Primary liver cancer is more prevalent in men than women, with an 8.3% higher incidence rate and a 5.7% higher death rate compared to women. Since 1980, liver cancer incidence rates have more than tripled, and death rates have more than doubled.
In Colorado, there are an estimated 600 new cases and 420 deaths from primary liver cancer each year.
Liver cancer is much more common in countries in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa than in the United States. In many of these countries it is the most common type of cancer. Each year more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer around the world. Liver cancer is also the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, accounting for more than 700,000 deaths each year.