Liver cancer symptoms and risk factors

What are the symptoms?

Liver cancer often doesn't cause any symptoms in the early stages, and cancer that is diagnosed and treated before symptoms appear often has very good outcomes.

As the cancer grows or spreads, it may cause symptoms such as:

• weakness and tiredness (fatigue)
• pain in the abdomen (belly) or below the right shoulder blade
• a hard lump on the right side of the abdomen
• appetite loss, feeling sick (nausea), or unexplained weight loss
• yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• dark urine (wee) and pale faeces (poo)
• itchy skin
• a swollen abdomen caused by fluid build-up (ascites).

Learn more about Managing symptoms of liver cancer.

What are the risk factors?

Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC) most often develops in people with underlying liver disease, usually cirrhosis. In cirrhosis, healthy liver cells are replaced by scar tissue, and benign nodules (non-cancerous lumps) form throughout the liver. As this gets worse (advanced cirrhosis), the liver stops working properly.

Cirrhosis may be caused by:

• long-term (chronic) infection with hepatitis B or C virus
• drinking too much alcohol
• metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) as a result of obesity and/or type 2 diabetes
• having too much iron in the bloodstream (haemochromatosis)
• or certain autoimmune conditions (e.g. primary biliary cholangitis).

A small but increasing number of people are developing liver cancer without cirrhosis. This may occur in those with long-term hepatitis B infection, or with liver disease related to obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Other risk factors for liver cancer are smoking tobacco or having a family history of HCC. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants from countries with higher rates of hepatitis B infection (e.g. countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Sub-Saharan Africa) are also at greater risk of developing primary liver cancer.

The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance of developing liver cancer.

The link between hepatitis and liver cancer

Worldwide, up to 8 in 10 cases of liver cancer (HCC) can be linked to infection with the hepatitis B or C virus (viral hepatitis). This is changing as vaccinations and effective treatments for viral hepatitis are helping to reduce the rates of hepatitis-related liver cancer.

How hepatitis spreads

Hepatitis B and C spread through contact with infected blood, semen or other body fluids.

The most common way hepatitis B spreads is from an infected mother to a baby during birth. Hepatitis B can also be transmitted during unprotected sex with an infected partner, or by sharing personal items, such as razors or needles, with an infected person.

Hepatitis C is usually transmitted through the sharing of needles during illicit drug use, tattooing, sharing personal items, or contaminated medical equipment.

Viral hepatitis infects the liver cells (hepatocytes). When the body’s immune system attacks the virus, the liver becomes inflamed. Infection that lasts for more than  six months may lead to liver damage (cirrhosis), which increases the risk of primary liver cancer. Importantly, people with cirrhosis should have long-term monitoring for liver cancer.

Preventing hepatitis

All babies in Australia are offered the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. To further prevent the spread of hepatitis B, at-risk people should also be vaccinated. This includes:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• people from countries with higher rates of hepatitis B
• people living with someone with hepatitis
• people who are immunocompromised
• healthcare workers.

If you already have hepatitis B, vaccination won’t be helpful, but you will usually have regular tests to ensure you don’t develop cancer or other liver problems. If you also have signs of liver damage, you may be offered antiviral medicines to help prevent further damage.

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C infection, but effective medicines are available and the virus can often be cured. While this treatment can lower the risk of primary liver cancer, it does not eliminate it.