Professor Jacob George’s vision for liver cancer

In 2022, liver cancer outcomes were where breast cancer outcomes were about 35 years ago: On average, only 22% of liver cancer patients survive beyond five years.

Liver cancer outcomes remain low, compared the majority of other cancers. Professor Jacob George and his dedicated team want to change this, aiming for a 5-year survival rate similar to the one in breast cancer

To learn more about Professor George’s vision for liver cancer research, read on below or watch the video above. Professor George covers the progress we’ve made and what we need to do to continue reducing its impact on society.  

On the links between hepatitis, lifestyle factors, and liver cancer:

Liver cancer has many causes, in particular, hepatitis infections with hepatitis B or C, resulting in inflammation of the liver. This inflammation ultimately changes the genetic makeup of the cells, which activates genes that cause uncontrolled cell proliferation. So, the cells multiply and, before you know it, it’s cancer. 

We also know that excessive drinking and leading an unhealthy lifestyle can contribute to chronic inflammation of the liver and result in liver cancer. 

On the progress made to reduce the impact of hepatitis in Australia: 

We’ve made tremendous progress in reducing the impact of hepatitis in Australia.  

We now have a simple blood test that can identify if people have hepatitis B or C.  

For hepatitis B, we’ve got very effective treatments that can suppress the virus and reduce the risk of liver cancer by 70%. 

With hepatitis C, we’ve now got drugs that can cure it. Older treatments for hepatitis C used to be quite brutal, but this is no longer the case and it’s been a total game changer. Nowadays, it’s just a tablet a day. You take it for eight or twelve weeks, there are no side effects and there’s a 98% cure rate.  

We’re actually on track to become the first country in the world to eliminate hepatitis C by 2028. This would get rid of up to about a third of cases of liver cancer. That’s the transformational impact of research. 

On the stigma of a hepatitis diagnosis: 

Habits that can lead to liver disease include alcohol consumption, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits, while sexual transmission can lead to hepatitis B or blood to blood transmission leading to hepatitis C.

Because of this stigma, none of our patients actually like to talk about it. 

We treat patients who’ve had significant alcohol issues who have hepatitis C. They come to us after their treatment and say, “I’ve always been told that I’m an alcoholic. You guys are the first people to just treat me as a person, like I’ve got a life, I’ve got a family”. 

But that’s the beauty of these new treatments. In the old days, we had to ask patients about risk factors because the treatment was so brutal. Today, we don’t care. You’re positive? We’ll treat you. It’s that easy.

On being a practicing physician as well as a researcher: 

I’m very, very privileged that I actually treat patients. For me, every bit of my research is informed by my patients.  

Yesterday I had a patient with a 12cm liver cancer first presentation. Your heart moves out and you say, “I want to help them”.  

And the only way you can actually help them is understanding the disease. If you can understand it, that gives you a chance to develop targeted therapies to treat it. 

On the importance of consumer involvement in research funding: 

20 years ago or even 10 years ago, research funding was done very differently. Scientists would simply develop their own agenda and ask for funding. 

What’s changed is that consumers now have a say. Funding organisations like Cancer Council, now work with consumers – patients, survivors and their carers, family and close friends – to make sure funding goes towards research that will make a difference in the real world. 

I think it’s so important to involve consumers in setting the agenda. We must always remember that we must be researching what matters to people.  

What’s Professor Jacob George up to now?

Since receiving the Sally Crossing AM Award in 2022, Professor Jacob George has been working with other practicing physicians across NSW to develop a centralised registry to reduce differences in care.

The registry now tracks 1,155 recently diagnosed liver cancer patients and has established a statewide meeting, to ensure that the most complex cases receive evidence-based and optimal care.

As part of developing optimal care pathways for end-stage liver cancer patients, he’s also helped enrol 468 patients from four hospitals (Westmead, Prince Alfred, Liverpool, and St George) in a cluster-based trial of clinical care pathways.

To better assess symptom burden and improve treatment options, 100 patients have been recruited to study the impact of frailty on liver cancer treatment and outcomes.

Professor George has conducted needs assessments involving patients, carers, and practicing physicians to better understand how the liver cancer experience can be made less difficult.

Research like that of Professor Jacob George is key to improving outcomes for those affected by liver cancer and other cancers.

By supporting Cancer Council NSW, you’re helping fund life-saving research, because it’s all of us against cancer.

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Professor Jacob George is the Director of the Storr Liver Centre at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research. He researches all things liver – looking at diseases that affect and damage the liver, including liver cancer.  

Most recently, Professor George has been extensively involved in translational research to improve the outcomes of patients with advanced primary liver cancer.  

Learn more about Professor George’s research funded by Cancer Council. 

Click through to learn more about secondary liver cancer.

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