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Cancer types

Liver Cancer

  • It’s functions include regulating sugars and fats for energy use. 
  • It also produces proteins that help the blood to clot. 
  • The liver also destroys harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs, and also gets rid of waste products.

There are different types of primary liver cancer:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

85% primary liver cancers are this type. Sometimes known as hepatoma and arises in the main cells of the liver called hepatocytes. More common in men. A rarer sub-type of HCC called fibrolamellar HCC, is more common in younger women.




What causes liver cancer?


There are factors that increase a person’s risk of developing primary liver cancer.

These include:

Cirrhosis of the liver

This is scarring on the liver, due to infection, heavy alcohol drinking over a long period of time. This increases the risk of developing HCC, yet only a small number of people will develop primary liver cancer.

Inherited medical conditions





What are the symptoms?

For early stages of primary liver cancer there are often no or vague symptoms. They range from:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Feeling sick (nausea)
  • Weakness and tiredness (lethargy).


How is it diagnosed?

After visiting a GP the patient will probably be referred to a hospital for some tests. These may include:









Primary liver cancer is divided into four stages:

  • Small and localised (stage one).
  • Spread into surrounding structures (stages two or three).

How is it treated?

A team of doctors and other staff at the hospital will plan the treatment. It will depend on the size of the tumour and where it is.

The team of doctors may include: an oncologist (a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with chemotherapy) and a radiologist (a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiation).

Treatment may involve:


Chemotherapy for liver cancer


For more information about chemotherapy, go to our chemotherapy fact sheet.

Surgery for liver cancer

The aim of surgery is to remove the tumour, but with liver cancer, this can be both a hard place to reach as well as, the liver a very important organ with in the body. Surgery takes two main forms:




Radiotherapy for liver cancer

Radiotherapy is not often used to treat primary liver cancer because the liver can’t tolerate very high doses of radiotherapy. The liver while being the biggest organ in the body, it is also one of the most sensitive.

For more information about radiotherapy, go to our radiotherapy fact sheet.

Side Effects

There are some side effects of the treatments for liver cancer which can be found in our side effects fact sheet.

More information

You may want to check out the fact sheets on the left hand side for more information on related topics.

Visit our community pages to chat with other young people about liver cancer, its treatment….or anything really.




Last updated 12 October 2011
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