Daijiworld Media Network – Lucknow
Lucknow, Jul 1: Liver fibrosis can raise the risk of cancers such as colorectal, breast, and prostate by up to four times, warned Prof Gaurav Pandey from the gastroenterology department of SGPGIMS, during a health awareness talk titled ‘Fatty Liver – the Silent Epidemic’, organised by the Club of Lucknow on Sunday.
The session began with an inaugural address by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh. Prof Pandey highlighted that fatty liver disease now termed MASLD (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease) often shows no early symptoms and is typically discovered by chance.
“The liver weighs about 1.5 kg and processes everything we eat and drink. Excess fat leads to inflammation and scarring (fibrosis), which can progress to cirrhosis or require a liver transplant,” he explained. “There is no cure for fibrosis not in the liver, lungs or kidneys,” he added.
In India, nearly 1 in 3 individuals has fatty liver, and among diabetics, the risk soars to 60-70%. Diagnosis is made when liver fat is present along with one or more metabolic issues such as high BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure, triglycerides or low HDL. If moderate alcohol use is present, the condition is termed MASH. Consumption above 50 grams of alcohol per day is considered alcoholic liver disease.
Fatty liver associated with obesity also heightens the risk of heart disease, diabetes, pancreatitis, and several cancers. Around 8-10% of patients may develop serious complications within a decade. Notably, liver enzymes may remain normal even in advanced cases, making early testing such as FIB-4 crucial.
“MASLD is largely a metabolic disorder—not merely due to alcohol or poor diet,” Prof Pandey stressed.
Dr Supriya Sharma from the gastro surgery department emphasized the urgent need for organ donors in India. “End-stage liver disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the country, yet our deceased donor rate stands at just 0.5 per 10 lakh, far behind Western nations where the rate is as high as 90,” she said, urging citizens to come forward and register as organ donors.