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Three in five liver cancer cases are linked to preventable risk factors like alcohol, viral hepatitis, and obesity, according to a new Lancet Commission report. Without urgent action, global liver cancer cases could nearly double by 2050. The report calls for stronger prevention efforts, including hepatitis vaccination, alcohol policy reforms, and strategies to address rising rates of metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease.

“The President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has today warned the Government’s decision to delay the planned rollout of alcohol health information labelling until 2028 at the earliest is a ‘serious threat to public health’. Dr. Anne Dee stated that the delay prioritizes corporate interests over the wellbeing of Irish citizens, potentially increasing preventable diseases and harm to children.

From a glass of wine with dinner to a beer at a ballgame, alcohol is common in many social settings. Yet most Americans are unaware it raises cancer risk. “No amount of alcohol is risk-free,” says Dr. Suneel Kamath, noting links to at least seven types of cancer. Cutting back helps, but not drinking at all is best. Alcohol, along with smoking and obesity, is a major preventable cause of cancer worldwide.

Any decision to delay the regulations has consequences, not least the 4,000 people who will receive a cancer diagnosis caused by alcohol.