The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with liver cancer between 2010 and 2015 is estimated at about 18%, for all stages combined, according to the report. Cancer Panorama in France – 2023 edition.
Liver cancer: late diagnosis reduces prognosis
This cancer is considered one of the cancers with a “poor prognosis”, which means that the chances of survival for five years remain very low. However, as shown National Cancer InstituteThis number is “A statistical average that says nothing about the individual situation“Indeed, this percentage includes all types of cancer, and therefore includes the different stages and regardless of the patient’s age and health condition. The average age of diagnosis is 70 years for men and 73 years for women.
Moreover, as he pointed out VidalThe five-year survival rate also depends on the location of the tumor: from 25% when it is localized to less than 10% when it is more extensive.
Often, this cancer remains silent, meaning it causes few or no specific symptoms. Therefore, it is sometimes diagnosed at an advanced stage, which explains the low five-year survival rate.
Liver cancer: The survival rate is better when surgery is possible
For only about a third of patients, liver cancer can be treated curatively. This means that it has been completely eliminated. For some patients, a liver transplant is possible. In this case, the five-year survival rate rises to about 70%.
On the other hand, when liver transplantation or removal is not possible, treatments (eg chemotherapy or therapy) are offered to patients. The recurrence rate here is high, reaching 80 to 85% of cases five years after the first diagnosis.
In 2018, 10,580 new cases of liver cancer were recorded in France and 8,697 deaths related to this disease, according to statistics. Public health France. The main risk factors are alcohol consumption, smoking, hepatitis B and C, Hemochromatosisthere Fatty degeneration hepaticWeight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.
