Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Liver cancer is the fastest-growing cause of cancer death in the United States and among the leading causes of cancer deaths globally. In 2018, approximately 42,220 people in the United States will be diagnosed with primary liver cancer, and approximately 30,200 will die from the disease. Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community. The most vulnerable Asian-Americans are those who are foreign-born, low-income, and living in ethnic enclaves.
Asian and Pacific Islander men and women are more than twice as likely to develop liver cancer compared to the non-Hispanic White population. Among the Asian and Pacific Islander population, the higher incidence rate of liver cancer is partially explained by higher incidence rates of Hepatitis B and diabetes, which are comorbidities shown to increase an individual’s risk of developing liver cancer. The most common causes of liver cancer include Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus infection.
Hepatitis B is a primary risk factor for developing liver cancer, and 1 in 4 of those chronically infected with hepatitis B develop cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Half of all individuals with hepatitis B in the United States are Asian-American or Pacific Islander, though this group accounts for only 5 percent of the U.S. population. Among African immigrants in the United States, the prevalence of hepatitis B infection is approximately 1 in 10, and African immigrants make up 30 percent of those with chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States.
Among Hispanic/Latino communities, liver cancer incidence and death rates are twice as high compared to the non-Hispanic White population. Hispanics/Latinos are 60 percent more likely to die from viral hepatitis than non-Hispanic Whites.