Screening for hepatitis and linked cancers practical and lifesaving, experts say

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-05-08 03:00

New Zealand

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The key factor behind a common type of cancer with a low survival rate is liver disease from chronic hepatitis B or C viral infections—but screening initiatives in Aotearoa could eliminate it within a generation, according to health experts. Seventy percent of hepatocellular carcinoma cases in Māori and 50% of cases in non-Māori are linked with hepatitis B or C. Over two-thirds of such cases in Aotearoa are caught when it's too late to cure. However, the authors of a new review paper say we already have testing and treatment capabilities that, through their proposed detection and treatment programme, could prevent dozens of deaths a year.