Rates of Liver Cancers Are Going Up – and Communities of Color Face the Most Risk

Global Liver Institute Launches 5th Annual #OctoberIs4Livers Campaign: Driving Equity in Liver Cancers

Washington, DC – October 1, 2022 – Global Liver Institute (GLI) today launches its 5th annual #OctoberIs4Liver education and awareness campaign, which calls attention to liver cancer – the third deadliest cancer in the world. Throughout the month, GLI will use media, social media, educational expert panels, and other events to bring patients, survivors, caregivers, advocates, clinical experts, industry, and policymakers together around this critical issue.

A liver cancer diagnosis provides a bleak outlook for over 900,000 people around the world each year. Five years after being diagnosed, less than a third of people are still alive. In South Korea, which has the best outcomes, just under 33% of people survive this long; in the U.S., for instance, only 20% do. Tragically, around 70% of these cases of liver cancer could have been prevented by eliminating many modifiable risk factors. This fact makes it more troubling that vulnerable populations, especially indigineous and ethnic minority communities around the world, bear a greater burden of liver cancers than majority populations. In the U.S., for example, Asian American men are 70% more likely than non-Hispanic white men to develop liver cancer. Similar inequity is evident across many demographic categories.

“Liver cancer is a grim disease, and it poses a formidable challenge to the world. That is why it is so essential that we join as a global community to stop upstream risk factors, improve access to care, and create new methods for treatment,” shared Sarah Manes, Director of Liver Cancers Programs at GLI. “We feel privileged at GLI to join with leaders across expertises and geographies to dive into candid conversation and to strengthen relationships. As GLI connects research, clinical, patient, and policy leaders, we will bring the daunting, nuanced challenges of this disease to the most brilliant minds in the field.”

There is something to look forward to all month! 

• • Weekly Health Equity Roundtable conversations with leaders to discuss the unique challenges of liver cancer to LatinX, Black, Asian American, and LGBTQ+ people
  • The second annual Leadership in Liver Health Luncheon, during which GLI will honor trailblazers in health.
  • Several patient highlights to elevate the stories of liver cancer survivors
  • Episodes of GLI LIVE each Wednesday at noon ET to discuss the innovators changing the game for liver cancer care and prevention
  • Updates to The State of Liver Cancer Report, the Global Liver Cancers Map
  • The release of Liver Cancer Lessons education resources and videos in French, Spanish, and Mandarin on livercentral.org
  • The global premier of Fighting Liver Cancers with Food, GLI’s 3-part cooking show featuring celebrity Chef Daniel Thomas:
    • Eating for Energy
    • Eating for Comfort
    • Eating for Strength
  • And more!

“The #OctoberIs4Livers campaign, now in its fifth year, embodies the mission of GLI to improve the lives of patients by promoting the innovation and collaboration that will one day eradicate liver cancers. Despite the growing impact of liver cancer that encumbers our world, the disease receives insufficient funding and focus relative to the need,” GLI’s President and CEO, Donna R. Cryer, JD, said. “In alignment with President Biden’s recent remarks on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, it is indeed time to reimagine the possibilities for prevention and treatment of liver cancers. The hundreds of thousands of people who are going to hear the words ‘you have liver cancer’ this year rely on innovation – in diagnostics, in navigation, and in policies – to save them.”

In addition to GLI’s events, our partners (including GLI’s Liver Action Network members and members of the Liver Cancers Council) will also be hosting webinars, fireside chats, and liver cancer care center open houses throughout the month.

Please join us the #OctoberIs4Livers Campaign! 

1. Register to attend the weekly Health Equity Roundtables.
2. Use our social media toolkit to share ready-to-use messages with your friends, family, and followers.
3. Join the conversation on social media with #OctoberIs4Livers.
4. Sign our pledge to double the survival rate for liver cancer in your country by 2030.
5. Mark your calendar for GLI LIVE, which airs weekly at 12PM ET on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

About Global Liver Institute

Global Liver Institute (GLI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in the belief that liver health must take its place on the global public health agenda commensurate with the prevalence and impact of liver illness. GLI promotes innovation, encourages collaboration, and supports the scaling of optimal approaches to help eradicate liver diseases. Operating globally, GLI is committed to solving the problems that matter to liver patients and equipping advocates to improve the lives of individuals and families impacted by liver disease. Follow GLI on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Washington, DC – August 12, 2022 –  As leaders in the liver cancers community, Global Liver Institute (GLI) proudly supports President Biden’s selection of Monica Bertagnolli, MD, to be appointed as the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Bertagnolli is the first woman to serve as chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. She was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine and served as the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“Global Liver Institute and our liver cancers team are grateful for President Biden appointing Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to be the first woman to serve as Director of the National Cancer Institute,” said Sarah Manes, Liver Cancers Program Director at GLI. “Dr. Bertagnolli’s esteemed and extensive clinical oncology experience, health policy work, and clinical trial expertise will continue to drive NCI to lead in the space of cancer research and innovation.”

Liver cancer presents a sizable burden as the sixth most common cancer and third leading cause of worldwide cancer death. Further, liver cancer is one of the few cancers that is on the rise – its incidence is expected to grow 137% by 2030. GLI remains committed to being an ally and driving focus on liver cancers advocacy specifically for hepatobiliary NCI SPORE grants and state-and-global-specific cancer consortiums. We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Monica Bertagnolli and the NCI on Cancer Moonshot initiatives as we persist in our efforts to drive policy, education, and awareness of liver disease and liver cancers by increasing screening, treatment, and prevention of one of the deadliest cancers in the world. We are also thankful to Dr. Douglas Lowy, MD, for serving as NCI’s acting director upon the departure of Ned Sharpless, MD.