Liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is an uncommon but serious type of cancer that begins in the liver.

This is a separate condition from secondary liver cancer, which occurs when cancer that first develops in another part of the body spreads to the liver.

The rest of this article refers to primary liver cancer only. The Macmillan Cancer Support website has more information about secondary liver cancer.

Symptoms

Symptoms of liver cancer are often vague and don’t appear until the cancer is at an advanced stage. They can include:

unexplained weight loss loss of appetite feeling very full after eating, even if the meal was small feeling sick and vomiting pain or swelling in your abdomen (tummy) jaundice (yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes) itchy skin feeling very tired and weak

Speak to your GP if you notice any of these symptoms. Although they are more likely to be the result of a more common condition, such as an infection, it’s best to have them checked.

You should also contact your GP if you have previously been diagnosed with a condition known to affect the liver, such as cirrhosis or a hepatitis C infection, and your health suddenly deteriorates.