Liver cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the liver.

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has two lobes and fills the upper right side of the abdomen inside the rib cage. Three of the many important functions of the liver are:

• To filter harmful substances from the blood so they can be passed from the body in stools and urine.
• To make bile to help digest fats from food.
• To store glycogen (sugar), which the body uses for energy.

Anatomy of the liver. The liver is in the upper abdomen near the stomach, intestines, gallbladder, and pancreas. The liver has a right lobe and a left lobe. Each lobe is divided into two sections (not shown).

See the following PDQ summaries for more information about liver (hepatocellular) cancer:

• Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Screening
• Adult Primary Liver Cancer Treatment
• Childhood Liver Cancer Treatment

Liver cancer is not common in the United States, but it is common in other parts of the world.

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in men, the ninth most common cancer in women, and the second leading cause of cancer death in the world. It is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of eastern Asia, including China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In the United States, rates of liver cancer are lowest in whites and highest in Hispanic men and American Indian/Alaska Native women. The number of new cases of liver cancer continues to increase, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Finding and treating liver cancer early may prevent death from liver cancer.

Being infected with certain types of the hepatitis virus can cause hepatitis and may lead to liver cancer.

Hepatitis is most commonly caused by the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation (swelling) of the liver. Damage to the liver from hepatitis that lasts a long time can increase the risk of liver cancer.

Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) are two types of the hepatitis virus. Chronic infection with HBV or HCV can increase the risk of liver cancer.

Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.

Avoiding cancer risk factors may help prevent certain cancers. Risk factors include smoking, being overweight, and not getting enough exercise. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking and exercising may also help prevent some cancers. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional about how you might lower your risk of cancer.

Chronic Hepatitis B and C infections are risk factors that may lead to liver cancer.

Having chronic hepatitis B (HBV) or chronic hepatitis C (HCV) increases the risk of developing liver cancer. The risk is even higher for people with both HBV and HCV, and for people who have other risk factors in addition to the hepatitis virus. Men with chronic HBV or HCV infection are more likely to develop liver cancer than are women with the same chronic infection.

Chronic HBV infection is the leading cause of liver cancer in Asia and Africa. Chronic HCV infection is the leading cause of liver cancer in North America, Europe, and Japan.

The following are other risk factors that may increase the risk of liver cancer:

The following protective factors may decrease the risk of liver cancer:

Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer.

Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Some cancer prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer but who have an increased risk for cancer. Other prevention trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and are trying to prevent another cancer of the same type or to lower their chance of developing a new type of cancer. Other trials are done with healthy volunteers who are not known to have any risk factors for cancer.

The purpose of some cancer prevention clinical trials is to find out whether actions people take can prevent cancer. These may include eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, quitting smoking, or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals, or food supplements.

New ways to prevent liver cancer are being studied in clinical trials.

Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.

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Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.

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Purpose of This Summary

This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about liver (hepatocellular) cancer prevention. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.

Reviewers and Updates

Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.

The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Screening and Prevention Editorial Board.

Clinical Trial Information

A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.

Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

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The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:

PDQ® Screening and Prevention Editorial Board. PDQ Liver (Hepatocellular) Cancer Prevention. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/liver/patient/liver-prevention-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>. [PMID: 26389299]

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