Liver Cancer
Educational information. Individual clinical review of this presentation by Dr. Ehsan is not yet documented. It does not replace personal medical evaluation.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Read the original source
MedlinePlus data edition September 26, 2026. Imported September 27, 2026. These dates do not indicate a new clinical review of the article.
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Primary liver cancer starts in the liver. Metastatic liver cancer starts somewhere else and spreads to your liver.
Risk factors for primary liver cancer include :
- Having hepatitis B or C
- Heavy alcohol use
- Having cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver
- Having hemochromatosis, an iron storage disease
- Obesity and diabetes
Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms until the cancer is advanced. This makes it harder to treat. Doctors use tests that examine the liver and the blood to diagnose liver cancer. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or liver transplantation.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
Symptoms, tests and care options
Further reading selected by MedlinePlus. Links open the original organizations’ websites.
- Abdominal exploration - series · Medical Encyclopedia
- Abdominal Ultrasound · Radiological Society of North America
- Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) Tumor Marker Test · National Library of Medicine
- Cryosurgery to Treat Cancer · National Cancer Institute
- Drugs Approved for Liver Cancer · National Cancer Institute
- Liver Cancer Treatment · National Cancer Institute
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