In a majority of cases, liver cancer does not doesn't have to happen if people avoid risk factors, a new global study performed in Hong Kong has found.

The number of people with liver cancer will nearly double worldwide by 2050 unless more is done to address preventable causes such as obesity, alcohol consumption and hepatitis, a study warned Tuesday.

Simple lifestyle changes could drastically cut cases of liver cancer, according to academics. The Lancet Commission on liver cancer found that three in five liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing alcohol consumption and obesity and by increasing uptake of the hepatitis vaccine.