Binge drinking and obesity have fuelled an alarming rise in cases of liver cancer, experts have warned.
In 2006, 3,108 cancers started in the liver - almost four times the figure of 30 years earlier when there were just 865 cases.
Although it is relatively common for cancers to spread to the liver, few tumours started there until recently.
Experts say the rise of the once rare cancer is being fuelled by cut-price alcohol, unhealthy foods and viral infections that damage the liver.
And they warn that many more cases will be diagnosed in the years to come.
Health risk: Experts have warned that binge drinking has fuelled an alarming increase in the number of cases of liver cancer
Matt Seymour, Cancer Research UK's professor of gastrointestinal cancer medicine at the University of Leeds, said that liver cirrhosis, or scarring, caused by unhealthy living, raised the risk of cancer.
'Three main risk factors for liver cirrhosis - alcohol, obesity and hepatitis C infection - are getting more common in the UK,' he said.
'So we are seeing more patients with cirrhosis and, in turn, more patients with primary liver cancer.
'This is likely to continue.
'There is a long delay between exposure to the risk factors and the onset of cancer.
'It might take between 20 and 40 years for liver cancer to develop after infection with hepatitis C.
'So even if new cases of infection stopped, the number of cases of cancer would continue to rise for some years.'
Hepatitis C is mainly spread among drug users sharing infected needles.
Imogen Shillito, of the British Liver Trust, said: 'These alarming figures on the increasing incidence of liver cancer are stark evidence of the epidemic of liver damage caused by alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis.
Epidemic: Obesity is also blamed as a key cause of liver damage
'At the moment, we're losing too many opportunities to diagnose and treat people's underlying liver disease at an early stage, which could prevent liver cancer developing and save lives.'
Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, called for tighter restrictions on the sale of alcohol.
He said: 'We're facing a public health crisis in terms of alcohol-related cancers and other health conditions because of cheap, easily available alcohol and a lack of health information to go with it.
'The UK needs to follow the evidence base for ending cut-price alcohol to drive our consumption down and reduce the rate of cancers and other diseases.
'The government can't hope to do that unless it's willing to get tough on the availability of low cost alcohol.'
Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, said: 'While this increase is a concern, it is important for people to understand how their risk of liver cancer can be reduced by changes to lifestyle.
'Cutting down on alcohol and watching your weight will help to reduce the risk of a wide range of cancers including primary liver cancer.
'Taking plenty of exercise and eating a balanced diet high in fibre, fruit and vegetables and low in fatty foods, red and processed meat can all help towards keeping a healthy weight.'
