Global burden trends of MAFLD‐related liver cancer from 1990 to 2019

Abstract

AbstractAimsMetabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has become a serious public health challenge and is a cause of liver cancer. Reports on the global epidemiology of MAFLD‐related liver cancer remain limited. This study aimed to estimate the global burden trends of MAFLD‐related liver cancer between 1990 and 2019.MethodsWe estimated the numbers of global incident cases, deaths, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of MAFLD‐related liver cancer by analyzing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We also analyzed the trends and regional and national differentials of MAFLD‐related liver cancer. Finally, we investigated the influential factors for the trends in MAFLD‐related liver cancer.ResultsGlobally, there were 36,340 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 29,490–44,860) incident cases, 34,730 (95% UI: 28,390–43,180) deaths, and 795,810 (95% UI: 657,290–975,790) DALYs of MAFLD‐related liver cancer in 2019, representing increases of 205%, 195%, and 166% compared with 1990, respectively. The age‐standardized incidence, mortality, and DALY rates per 100,000 population in 2019 were 0.44, 0.43, and 9.64, respectively. The most pronounced increases in incidence, deaths, and DALYs were consistently observed in countries with a high sociodemographic index. Increasing trends were noted in these three measures since 2005, and the trends were much greater in men than in women.ConclusionsMAFLD‐related liver cancer poses a substantial global burden that continues to grow. Undesirable trends were observed in countries with a high sociodemographic index.