Published online Jun 7, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i21.2361
Peer-review started: October 18, 2021
First decision: December 27, 2021
Revised: January 7, 2022
Accepted: April 24, 2022
Article in press: April 24, 2022
Published online: June 7, 2022
Processing time: 227 Days and 5.4 Hours
Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a common cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates. PLC usually occurs as a preventable disease. Data on global and country-specific levels and trends of PLC are essential for understanding the effects of this disease and helping policymakers to allocate resources.
The association between socioeconomic development status and attributable etiologies for PLC is still unclear.
To investigate the association between the burden of PLC and socioeconomic development status.
Cancer mortality and incidence rates of PLC were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019, and the data were stratified by the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) level. The association between the attributable etiology of PLC and SDI was described.
Several countries located in East Asia, South Asia, West Africa, and North Africa shouldered the heaviest burden of PLC in 2019. In terms of incidence rates, the first leading underlying cause of PLC identified was hepatitis B. The incidence rate of PLC was the highest for high and middle SDI locations. The leading attributable etiologies of PLC were hepatitis B for the middle and high middle SDI locations and hepatitis C and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis for the high SDI locations.
Socioeconomic development status significantly affects attributable etiologies for PLC.
Our findings are valuable to implement tailored prevention strategies for PLC.