Can Liver Cancer Be Prevented?

Preventing hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections

Worldwide, the most significant risk factor for liver cancer is chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). These viruses can spread from person to person through contaminated needles (such as during IV drug use) and unprotected sex, so some liver cancers could be avoided by not sharing needles and by using safer sex practices (such as always using condoms).

Blood transfusions were once a major source of hepatitis infection as well, but blood banks in the United States test donated blood to look for these viruses, so the risk of getting a hepatitis infection from a blood transfusion is very low.

HBV vaccine

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all children and adults up to age 59, as well as older adults at risk for HBV, get the HBV vaccine to reduce their risk of chronic hepatitis B and liver cancer.

There is no vaccine to prevent HCV. Preventing HCV infection (as well as HBV infection in people who have not been immunized) is based on understanding and avoiding the ways in which these infections are spread.

Screening and testing for chronic HBV and HCV infections

It is possible for someone to have a chronic HBV or HCV infection and not know it. The CDC recommends that everyone 18 years of age or older get tested for HBV and HCV at least once and that some people get tested when they are younger and/or more often. (To learn who should get tested for HBV and HCV and how often, visit the CDC website)  

Treating chronic HBV and HCV infection

If a person has a chronic HBV or HCV infection, treatment can help slow liver damage and reduce their risk of developing liver cancer.

Medicines to treat chronic HCV infection can eliminate the virus in many people and may lower their risk of liver cancer.

A number of drugs can be used to treat chronic HBV. They can reduce the level of viruses in the blood and lessen damage to the liver. Although these drugs don't cure the infection, they lower the risk of cirrhosis, and they may lower the risk of liver cancer as well.

Avoid or limit alcohol and tobacco use

Drinking alcohol can lead to cirrhosis, which in turn, can lead to liver cancer. Not drinking alcohol or drinking in moderation could help lower your risk of liver cancer.

Smoking also increases the risk of liver cancer, so if you smoke, quitting will help lower your risk of this cancer, as well as many other cancers and life-threatening diseases.

Get to and stay at a healthy weight

Staying at a healthy weight might be another way to lower your risk of liver cancer. People who have excess weight are more likely to have fatty liver disease and diabetes, both of which have been linked to liver cancer.

Limit exposure to cancer-causing chemicals

Changing the way certain grains are stored in tropical and subtropical countries could reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances such as aflatoxins. Many countries already have regulations to prevent and monitor grain contamination.

Treat diseases that increase liver cancer risk

Certain inherited diseases can cause cirrhosis of the liver, increasing a person’s risk for liver cancer. Finding and treating these diseases early in life could lower this risk. For example, all children in families with hemochromatosis (a genetic iron absorption disorder) should be screened for the disease and treated regularly if they have it.