Liver cancer

While liver cancer, and especially primary liver cancer or cancer that begins in the liver, is quite uncommon in the UK, diagnoses are on the rise, with around 5,700 cases reported annually.

What is Liver cancer

What is liver cancer

Liver cancer is a cancer that begins in the liver, also referred to as primary liver cancer. Cancers that spread to the liver from elsewhere in the body are referred to as secondary cancers of the liver. While rates of primary liver cancer are low in the UK, elsewhere in the world it is significantly more common, especially in parts of Africa and Asia where it is the most common.

We work together to combine the highest levels of consultant-led care and patient choice with the most advanced knowledge and understanding of the disease and its forms.

Learn More About Liver cancer

The most commonly diagnosed form of liver cancer is known as Hepatocellular Carcinoma, or HCC, therefore the following information relates specifically to HCC.

Risk Factors

While the exact cause of HCC is not known at this stage, certain risk factors have been identified, which may be contributory. It is important to note that the link is not absolute, having one or more of these risk factors does not guarantee that you will develop liver cancer:

Age 65 or over
Male
Smoking
Long term hepatitis infection
Cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver
Diabetes
Metabolic Condition
Family history
Long term anabolic steroid use

Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is often symptomless. It is important to note that, often, during the early stages of liver cancer it is common to present little or no symptoms. People who receive regular liver checks, such as those living with chronic liver disease, may discover they have developed HCC before they present any symptoms.

Symptoms of liver cancer can include the following:

loss of appetite
weight loss
feeling sick
jaundice

Ultimately, if you are concerned about liver cancer because of these risk factors, or indeed any other reason, you should seek the advice of a medical professional.

Diagnosis

In order to diagnose liver cancer, you may undergo the following tests:

Blood tests
- You will have blood tests to check for liver function, called LFTs and for a tumour marker known as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
Abdominal ultrasound scan
CT Scan
MRI Scan
Laparoscopy
- A small scale surgery to assess the liver and surrounding area
Biopsy
- A small sample of liver tissue cells are removed for microscopic examination

Treatments available at Clatterbridge Private Clinic

The treatment you have for liver cancer depends on the size and type of liver cancer, where it is located, whether started in the liver or has spread from somewhere else and your general health. You may be offered a combination of treatments. Consultants at the Clatterbridge Private Clinic develop a tailored treatment plan for each patient best-suited to their needs. Some of the main treatment options are listed below.

Surgery

If the liver cancer is found early, is small and has not spread, you may be able to have surgery to remove it. The surgery will remove all or part of your liver, if all of your liver is removed, you will need a liver transplant to replace yours with a donated one. Surgery may be combined with other treatments to prevent the return of the cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. It uses cytotoxic drugs to disrupt the cancer cell’s ability to grow and reproduce. For liver cancer, chemotherapy is usually given to the blood vessels of the cancer to stop the cancer growing and control symptoms. This is called chemoembolisation. Patients at Clatterbridge Private Clinic are treated within our state-of-the-art outpatient chemotherapy suite and have access to the latest drug regimes, some of which may not be routinely available on the NHS.

Targeted drug therapies

Targeted drug therapies exploit the behaviour of cancer cells in order to destroy them or slow their growth. These therapies use anti-cancer medicines to treat liver cancers and are given as injections or tablets. Clatterbridge Private Clinic is one of the only clinics in the northwest with access to the most advanced targeted drug therapies for the treatment of liver cancer, many of which are not available on the NHS.