Cancer Stat Facts: Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

At a Glance

Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer was 9.4 per 100,000 men and women per year. The death rate was 6.6 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2017–2021 cases and 2018–2022 deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 1.1 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2018–2021 data, excluding 2020 due to COVID.

Prevalence of This Cancer: In 2021, there were an estimated 108,247 people living with liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer in the United States.

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How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

5-Year
Relative Survival

21.7%

Based on data from SEER 22 (Excluding IL/MA) 2014–2020. Gray figures represent those who have died from liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, 44.5% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year relative survival for localized liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer is 37.3%.

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer is relatively rare.

Rank	Common Types of Cancer	Estimated New Cases 2024	Estimated Deaths 2024
1.	Breast Cancer (Female)	310,720	42,250
2.	Prostate Cancer	299,010	35,250
3.	Lung and Bronchus Cancer	234,580	125,070
4.	Colorectal Cancer	152,810	53,010
5.	Melanoma of the Skin	100,640	8,290
6.	Bladder Cancer	83,190	16,840
7.	Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer	81,610	14,390
8.	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	80,620	20,140
9.	Uterine Cancer	67,880	13,250
10.	Pancreatic Cancer	66,440	51,750
	-	-	-
13.	Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer	41,630	29,840

Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer represents 2.1% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

2.1%

In 2024, it is estimated that there will be 41,630 new cases of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer and an estimated 29,840 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Liver cancer is more common in men than women, and among Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. The rate of new cases of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer was 9.4 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2017–2021 cases, age-adjusted.

Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

Males

All Races	14.0
Hispanic	21.5
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	25.1
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	17.4
Non-Hispanic Black	16.6
Non-Hispanic White	11.2

Females

All Races	5.3
Hispanic	9.4
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	11.5
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	6.4
Non-Hispanic Black	5.5
Non-Hispanic White	4.3

• All Races
• Hispanic
• Non-Hispanic American Indian/
  Alaska Native
• Non-Hispanic Asian /
  Pacific Islander
• Non-Hispanic Black
• Non-Hispanic White

SEER 22 2017–2021, Age-Adjusted

Who Dies From This Cancer?

Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The death rate was 6.6 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2018–2022 deaths, age-adjusted.

Death Rate per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer

Males

All Races	9.5
Hispanic	12.6
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	16.7
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	11.8
Non-Hispanic Black	12.3
Non-Hispanic White	8.4

Females

All Races	4.2
Hispanic	6.1
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	8.7
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander	5.1
Non-Hispanic Black	4.6
Non-Hispanic White	3.8

• All Races
• Hispanic
• Non-Hispanic American Indian/
  Alaska Native
• Non-Hispanic Asian /
  Pacific Islander
• Non-Hispanic Black
• Non-Hispanic White

U.S. 2018–2022, Age-Adjusted

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, age-adjusted rates for new liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer cases have been falling on average 0.5% each year over 2012–2021. Age-adjusted death rates have been stable over 2013–2022. 5-year relative survival trends are shown below.

Cancer and the Liver

Figure: Liver Anatomy

Figure: Anatomy of the liver; drawing shows the right and left front lobes of the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, pancreas, colon, and small intestine. The two back lobes of the liver are not shown.

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has four lobes and fills the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. The liver has many important functions, including:

• Filtering harmful substances from the blood so they can be passed from the body in stools and urine.
• Making bile to help digest fats from food.
• Storing glycogen (sugar), which the body uses for energy.

This summary refers to primary liver cancer (cancer that begins in the liver). Treatment of metastatic liver cancer, which is cancer that begins in other parts of the body and spreads to the liver, is not included in these statistics.

Additional Information

• Learn more about liver cancer

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about liver cancer.

• More about risk factors for liver cancer
• More about symptoms and diagnosis of liver cancer
• More about treatment options for liver cancer
• More about clinical trials
• More about cancer prevention

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/livibd.html