Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer disproportionately from chronic liver disease – a complication of which can be liver cancer.

Now thanks to a Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant, Flinders Medical Centre’s Dr Sumudu Narayana is embarking on a new study to help improve screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC – a form of liver cancer) in this group.

This work will provide detailed data on the incidence of HCC in Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, as well as identify demographic, clinical and geographic factors contributing to this cancer in Indigenous Australians.

“We envisage that results generated from this work will enable us to better tailor liver care programs for Indigenous Australians,” Dr Narayana says.

“As liver disease, including HCC, represents the third main contributor to the mortality gap between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians aged 35–74 years, understanding these differences and tailoring liver care programs accordingly will be an important component of reducing the mortality gap from HCC between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”

Research category: Indigenous Health

Project title: Towards evidence-based guidelines for hepatocellular carcinoma screening in Indigenous Australians

Lead researcher: Dr Sumudu Narayana