Liver cancer experts in ongoing Cebu meet

MANILA, Philippines—More than 50 of the world’s and Asia’s top medical experts in the study and treatment of liver cancer are in the country  to lecture and share their expertise at the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (Hepatocellular Carcinoma Conference) hosted by the Hepatology Society of the Philippines, which opened Thursday in Cebu City.

Dr. Diana Alcantara-Payawal, president of Hepatology Society of the Philippines and chair of the conference organizing committee, said more than 800 medical professionals from Asia-Pacific and the other parts of the world are attending the Cebu conference, which provides a venue for extensive networking and exchanging of ideas to strengthen the study of liver diseases.

Dr. Ian Homer Cua, chair of the scientific committee, said the conference which runs until Saturday, provides a comprehensive program that features the highest quality content on liver cancer—from the cause to treatment options and research developments with highlights on interventional hepatology, including the latest video workshops on basic imaging modality as well as tips and tricks on interventional hepatology.

Payawal said the world of hepatology is an evolving field of science and it is fortunate that the Asia-Pacific region focuses its interest on liver cancer.

With the concept, “HCC in 3D: Dimension, Direction, Decision,” the Cebu City conference is timely considering the latest statistics on the killer disease, Payawal said. The figures:

— More than half a million people worldwide are  diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer;

— HCC is the most common primary liver malignancy;

— HCC is the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide;

— Worldwide, liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in men and the seventh in women;

— In the Philippines, it is the third most common form of cancer among men and sixth among women;

— Most of the burden of disease (85 percent) is borne in developing countries, with the highest incidence rates reported in regions where infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is endemic—Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa;

— The Philippines is hyperendemic for hepatitis B;

— In the Philippines, chronic hepatitis B is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer;

— Rates of liver cancer among men are two to four times as high as the rates among women.