Adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma are less likely to have cirrhosis than those with liver cancer from other causes but are not necessarily more likely to survive, researchers say.

This patient group is also more likely to have larger tumours and uninodular lesions at diagnosis, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis claimed to be the most comprehensive international picture of the disease to date.

Drawing upon data from 61 studies, the National University of Singapore-led team set out to examine the prevalence, clinical features and outcomes associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related hepatocellular carcinoma as previous evidence had been conflicting.

Among nearly 95,000 adults (median age 68) included in the study, 15% had NAFLD-related liver cancer while the rest had carcinoma due to hepatitis B or C virus infection or alcohol-associated liver disease.