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Liver cancer due to alcohol use

3Curable in someAI-generated

Liver Cancer from Alcohol: Curable in Some, Survival ImprovingAI-generated

Burden-over-time charts — how many people this disease affects and whether that number is rising or falling — are coming to this page. The treatability read, milestones, and live trial pipeline below are current.

Milestones

dot size = significance
199020002010202020251995 — Nalmefene approved (FDA)2004 — Acamprosate approved (FDA)2005 — Sorafenib approved (FDA)2012 — Cabozantinib approved (FDA)2022 — Tremelimumab approved (FDA)2005
1995: Drug approval — Nalmefene approved (FDA). 2004: Drug approval — Acamprosate approved (FDA). 2005: Drug approval — Sorafenib approved (FDA). 2012: Drug approval — Cabozantinib approved (FDA). 2022: Drug approval — Tremelimumab approved (FDA)

What's being tested now

2002: 1 trials started2004: 1 trials started2005: 1 trials started2009: 1 trials started2011: 1 trials started2012: 1 trials started2013: 4 trials started2014: 10 trials started2015: 10 trials started2016: 8 trials started2017: 14 trials started2018: 23 trials started2019: 38 trials started2020: 49 trials started2021: 69 trials started2022: 105 trials started2023: 144 trials started2024: 284 trials started2025: 352 trials started2026: 302 trials started201020202026352

Trials started per year, stacked by phase (darker = later phase). Source: ClinicalTrials.gov via Clin2, which tracks studies recruiting in recent years — early years undercount.

See all 1363 active Alcohol Abuse trials on Clin2 →

Where we are

AI-generated

Alcohol-related liver cancer is curable in some cases when caught early, with surgical resection, ablation, or transplantation. However, most patients are diagnosed late, leaving systemic therapies like sorafenib—approved in 2005—that extend life but are not curative. Mortality rates have been slowly declining in recent years as treatment options improve, though the global burden remains high. These advances are not universally available; access varies widely by region and healthcare system. Prevention through treating alcohol use disorder remains critical, but it is not a reliable cure for existing cancer.

What are the chances of cure for alcohol-related liver cancer?
Cure is possible only if the tumor is found early and can be surgically removed or ablated. Most cases are diagnosed late, so cure rates are low overall.
How has treatment changed since 2005?
Sorafenib, approved in 2005, was the first systemic therapy to extend survival. Since then, newer drugs like cabozantinib have added options, but they are not curative.
Can treating alcohol use disorder prevent liver cancer?
Treating alcohol use disorder can reduce the risk of developing liver cancer, but once cancer exists, it is not a reliable cure or prevention.
Are these treatments available everywhere?
No, access to surgery, transplantation, and systemic therapies is limited in many low-resource settings, so availability varies widely.
What is the current trend in deaths from this cancer?
Mortality has been slowly declining in some regions due to better treatments, but overall cases are rising globally, so the burden remains high.

Related

Liver cancer due to hepatitis BLiver cancer due to hepatitis CLiver cancer due to NASHHepatoblastomaLiver cancer due to other causes

Burden estimates: IHME Global Burden of Disease Study. Drug indications: ChEMBL (CC BY-SA). Trial data: ClinicalTrials.gov via Clin2. Velocity, acceleration, and turning points are computed by Clin2 — how this page is made. Treatability describes what medicine can do, not what is available everywhere. This page describes populations, not people, and is not medical advice.