MedlinePlus Health Topics

Last uploaded: March 22, 2026
Id http://purl.bioontology.org/ontology/MEDLINEPLUS/C0345904
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Liver Cancer

Definitions
<p>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. </p> <p>Risk factors for primary liver cancer include :</p><ul> <li>Having <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/hepatitisb.html">hepatitis B</a> or <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/hepatitisc.html">C</a></li> <li>Heavy alcohol use</li> <li>Having <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/cirrhosis.html">cirrhosis</a>, or scarring of the liver</li> <li>Having <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/hemochromatosis.html">hemochromatosis</a>, an iron storage disease</li> <li>Obesity and diabetes</li> </ul> <p>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 <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/livertransplantation.html">liver transplantation</a>. </p> <p class="">NIH: National Cancer Institute</p>
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