Frequency
90% of all hepatocellular carcinomas (liver cancer) are actually liver metastases that have been disseminated from another malignant tumor located in the body. The liver is thus the most common affected organ of metastasis after the lymphatic system. In Germany, approximately 5-6 people per 100,000 inhabitants are diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma every year.
The cause is very different here (see above). In tropical countries (Africa, Asia), hepatocellular carcinoma reaches a frequency of 30 people per 100,000 inhabitants per year and is the most common malignant disease in men. In Germany, too, men are affected slightly more frequently than women (ratio 3:1).
Worldwide it is estimated that there are up to one million new cases of the disease each year. The disease mostly occurs in Germany between the ages of 50 and 60. In tropical countries, patients often fall ill between the ages of 30 and 40.