NAFLD ‘linked with raised cancer risk’
The risk of certain GI cancers and thyroid cancer is particularly high, Italian researchers report
People with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are at increased risk of developing various extrahepatic cancers, a meta-analysis suggests.
Italian researchers examined data from 10 observational studies with a total of 182,202 participants (mean age 51), including 45,218 (25%) who had NAFLD at baseline.
Over a median follow-up of nearly six years, people with NAFLD had an increased risk of developing several GI cancers as well as lung, breast, and gynaecological malignancies.
The risk of oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer were all nearly doubled, while the risk of thyroid cancer was almost tripled, compared with people without NAFLD.
