Temporal trends and racial/ethnic disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in the US between 2000-2022

Early declines among non-Hispanic Asians/Pacific Islanders likely reflect increased treatment for chronic hepatitis B, while later declines among the whole population were likely the result of national initiatives to scale up curative hepatitis C treatment. The high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Hispanic individuals warrants further studies and targeted interventions, including efforts to increase hepatitis C treatment access and reduce metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. These findings are important for clinicians and policymakers addressing HCC disparities and show that increased national initiatives to improve the diagnosis and treatment of chronic viral hepatitis are associated with a declining trend in HCC incidence at the population level.