More than liver cancer!

▎Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, commonly known as fatty liver), edited by WuXi AppTec's content team, is one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the world, affecting nearly a quarter of the world's population.

According to the "Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (2018 Update)", the prevalence rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in China is also over 25%.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease usually has an insidious onset, and the consequences should not be underestimated.
It ranges from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) or simple liver steatosis (benign lesions) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Cause liver fibrosis, which may eventually develop into liver cirrhosis or even liver cancer.

A study published in the well-known academic journal Gut (GUT) further showed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is not only associated with an increased risk of liver cancer, but also associated with an increased risk of other types of cancer, including digestion Systemic cancer, as well as lung cancer, breast cancer, and gynecological cancer.

Image source: 123RF Researchers from the University of Verona, Italy (University of Verona) and other institutions analyzed 182,202 subjects with an average age of 51 years old.
Of these, 45,218 (24.
8%) were involved in the study.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The researchers collected information about the subjects, including age, sex, height, weight, waist circumference, alcohol intake, diet, smoking, and diabetes history, and counted the occurrence of different types of cancer during the follow-up period, including the digestive system Cancer (esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer), lung cancer, breast cancer, gynecological cancer and urinary system cancer, etc.

During an average follow-up period of nearly 6 years, a total of 8485 cases of cancer occurred in addition to liver cancer.

After adjusting for the influence of other underlying factors, the researchers found that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with an increased risk of many types of cancer.

Compared with subjects without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, subjects with the disease had a 93% higher risk of esophageal cancer, an 81% higher risk of gastric cancer, a 40% higher risk of pancreatic cancer, and Rectal adenoma risk increased by 40%, colorectal cancer risk increased by 64%, thyroid cancer risk increased by 163%, lung cancer risk increased by 30%, urinary system cancer risk increased by 33%, breast cancer risk increased by 39%, And the risk of gynecological cancer is increased by 62%.

In addition, the study also found that there was no significant association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increased risk of prostate cancer or blood system cancer.

Image source: 123RF Since the study is an observational study, it only shows the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the increased risk of various types of cancer, and does not show a causal relationship.

Moreover, the association mechanism between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the increased risk of various types of cancer is still unclear.

Giovanni Targher, the corresponding author of the study and the University of Verona, said: “It is still uncertain whether it is due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which shares common metabolic risk factors with diabetes and obesity, so that patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have more High cancer risk; or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease itself, which increases the risk of many types of cancers except liver cancer.

"Further research is needed to explore the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer development.
Complex associations and mechanisms.

In a review article for the study, Dr.
Zobair Younossi, the chair of clinical research at Inova Health System in the United States, pointed out that previous studies have shown that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with an increased risk of a variety of extrahepatic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and sarcopenia.
And digestive system cancers, etc.
, this study adds more evidence for the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and a variety of digestive system cancers, lung cancer, and increased risk of breast cancer.

Dr.
Dimitrios Koutoukidis from the University of Oxford commented: “The current research and previous research results highlight the importance of clinicians to encourage patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to lose weight. "At present, there are no targeted drugs or surgery approved for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The main reliance is to change bad lifestyles and reduce weight to alleviate and reverse fatty liver.

"Weight loss can not only reduce cardiovascular disease.
It is also possible to reduce the risk of obesity-related cancers," Dr.
Koutoukidis added.
It is
recommended to read effective measures to prevent breast cancer and reduce the risk of death.
However, only one in five people in China has achieved nearly 500,000 research data: Chang Eating these types of foods is associated with a 44% increase in dementia risk.
36% of the elderly are sick.
They are quietly devouring the health of young people.
It will be too late if you don’t prevent them! How can breast cancer survivors prolong their life? Two diets from Harvard University Research may bring you answers to different groups of people, which exercises are suitable for lowering blood pressure? The European Society of Cardiology released a consensus reference material for personalized exercises to lower blood pressure[1] Alessandro Mantovani, et al.
,(2021).
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increased risk of incident extrahepatic cancers: a meta-analysis of observational cohort studies.
Gut, DOI: http://dx.
doi.
org/10.
1136/gutjnl-2021-324191.
[2] NAFLD Tied to Risk of Gastrointestinal, Lung, Breast, and Gynecological Cancers.
Retrieved Mar 31, 2021, from Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical and health research, not a recommendation
for a treatment plan .
If you need to get treatment plan guidance , Please go to a regular hospital for treatment.