Can Liver Cancer Be Found Early?

Liver cancer can be hard to find early because signs and symptoms often do not appear until it is in its later stages. Small liver tumors are hard to detect on a physical exam because most of the liver is covered by the right rib cage. By the time a tumor can be felt, it might already be very large.

At this time, there are no widely recommended screening tests for liver cancer in people who are at average risk. (Screening is testing for a disease like cancer in people who have no symptoms or history of it.) But testing might be recommended for some people at higher risk.

Testing people at high risk for liver cancer

A lot of people who develop liver cancer have long-standing cirrhosis (scar tissue formation from liver damage).

For people at higher risk of liver cancer because they have cirrhosis (from any cause), hereditary hemochromatosis, or chronic hepatitis B infection (even without cirrhosis), some experts recommend screening for liver cancer with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood tests and ultrasound exams every 6 months.

AFP is a tumor marker for liver cancer that can be measured in blood. But many people with early liver cancer have normal AFP levels, and high levels of AFP may be seen in some people with chronic liver disease who don’t have liver cancer. AFP levels can also be higher in people with some other types of cancer, as well as some non-cancerous conditions.