Increased hepatitis B testing needed to protect more Victorians against liver cancer

In recognition of World Hepatitis Day on 28 July Cancer Council Victoria joined with The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (The Doherty Institute) to call for increased hepatitis B testing to protect more Victorians against liver cancer.

The call comes as new data from The Doherty Institute’s Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project has estimated that almost 20,000 Victorians with hepatitis B are yet to be diagnosed, putting them at greater risk of liver cancer. Concerningly, the report found an 18.2 per cent decline in hepatitis serology blood tests between 2020 and 2023, with testing in 2023 still below pre-COVID figures.

Liver cancer is the sixth most common and fastest growing cause of cancer-related death in Victoria. In 2022, 617 Victorians were diagnosed with liver cancer and 450 lost their lives to this disease.

For many Victorians born overseas, a major cause of liver cancer is contracting hepatitis B during infancy or early childhood, particularly if they were born in a hepatitis-endemic country without universal access to vaccination.

But, if found early through a simple blood test, hepatitis B can be treated to protect against liver cancer.

“Liver cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of cancers in Victoria and this is often due to it being diagnosed at a late stage. This is why early detection of risk factors like hepatitis B and linking those diagnosed with care and treatment are so important.” - Cancer Council Victoria CEO Todd Harper AM.

“Too many Victorians are dying from a cancer that could have been prevented through testing and treatment of hepatitis B. It’s so important that people are getting tested, and that healthcare providers and community leaders are having these conversations to help link more people to the care they need to prevent a liver cancer diagnosis,” he said.

This work in advocating for greater hepatitis B testing is part of our goal to address the growing burden of liver cancer.

Thanks to generous donors like you, we have provided $1.8 million since 2014 to fund ground-breaking research to reduce the impact of liver cancer on the Victorian community. With your support we can continue our work to address liver cancer in Victoria.

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