Beating cancer through hepatitis elimination – working together to reduce NCDs

Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with the majority of liver cancer cases caused by viral hepatitis. The tools to eliminate hepatitis exist, with modelling finding that meeting the WHO hepatitis elimination targets for testing and treatment by 2030 is cost-effective for health systems. 

Despite this, action to incorporate funded hepatitis interventions into cancer control strategies has been slow, with the number of liver cancer cases caused by hepatitis expected to double by 2040.  

To help address this, the World Hepatitis Alliance has launched a white paper, ‘Beating cancer through hepatitis elimination – working together to reduce NCDs’, which sets out a number of calls to action for policymakers which if implemented could be transformative for people at risk of liver cancer.