RIP Joe Frazier 1944-2011

I just read in the news that former heavyweight boxing champion & Olympic gold medal winner, Smokin' Joe Frazier, has passed away from liver cancer.  While I am admittedly not a close follower of the sweet science, his epic battles are forever etched in history.  And while I have no additional access to his medical history aside from what I have read in the news lately, I wanted to make mention of some known & presumed causes of liver cancer.  

Ignoring hepatic metastases over which no one has any control, Hepatitis B & C are two well known etiologic agents of liver cancer.  The good news is that we can vaccinate against HepB.  And we now routinely screen for HepC in our blood supply.  Plus we can also avoid its transmission via shared needles (whether for intravenous drug use or tattoos).  We are also gaining some success in treating those infected w/HepC to prevent the development of cirrhosis.

On another front, we need to monitor our alcohol consumption as excess has been associated with liver cancer, accounting for 18% of liver cancers in a recent prospective cohort study published in BMJ of 109,118 European men & 254,870 women 37-70yo.  Men consuming >2 drinks/d and women >1 drink/d increased their risk for developing cancer.  

The take home point is this: we have a lot of control over our risk of developing primary liver cancer.  Don't squander that opportunity.

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