Liver cancer

Malignant liver tumours can be either primary (the original site) or metastatic (secondary to another cancer somewhere else in the body).

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What is primary liver cancer?

Primary liver cancer is cancer that begins in the liver. Primary liver cancer is more common in men than in women, and the risk of developing liver cancer gets higher as we get older. Whilst rare, primary liver cancer is increasing in prevalence in the UK.

Cancer that started in another part of the body and has spread to the liver is called secondary liver cancer or metastatic liver cancer.

If you are diagnosed with liver cancer you will have immediate access to our world-leading consultants and state-of-the-art hospitals.

Liver cancer types

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or Hepatoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer. HCC arises from the main cells of the liver known as the hepatocytes. Whist ordinarily confined to the liver it may, on occasion, spread to other organs. More common in men than women, HCC occurs mostly in people with cirrhosis of the liver.

Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) starts in the cells lining the bile ducts and is more common in men than in women. The bile ducts are the tubes connecting the liver and gall bladder to the small intestine. This type of liver cancer is more common in women.

More about bile duct cancer.

Patient stories

Zandra Rhodes: Dr Khurum Khan's Story

Iconic designer Zandra Rhodes was given a life-changing cancer prognosis early in lockdown. Here, we hear from her consultant Dr Khurum Khan, who along with the specialist team at Leaders in Oncology Care, explored all of the options available for Zandra before they found a treatment plan that worked.