Liver cancer deaths twice as high as 20 years ago

Deaths from liver cancer in the UK are almost twice as high as they were two decades ago, according to analysis.

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Cancer Research UK estimates the disease has killed more than 81,000 people in the last 20 years, with deaths projected to rise a further 10 per cent by 2040.

About half of liver cancer cases are preventable with lifestyles changes, according to the charity, which has urged the Government to “help people live more healthily” in a bid to “save thousands of lives, and save the NHS millions”.

Recent analysis by Cancer Research UK estimates liver cancer now kills 5,800 people in the UK each year compared with 2,200 in the late 1990s.

The disease is currently the eighth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.

However, by 2040, the charity warns that it could rank sixth.

It estimates that the disease has killed around 81,300 people in the last two decades, and is expected to kill around 135,000 people in the next 15 years.

According to the NHS, many liver cancers are linked to lifestyle.

Men and those over 60 are more likely to develop the disease, although it is most common in people aged over 85.