Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer

Signs and symptoms of liver cancer often do not show up until the later stages of the disease, but sometimes they may show up sooner. If you go to your doctor when you first notice symptoms, your cancer might be diagnosed earlier, when treatment is most likely to be successful.

Common symptoms of liver cancer

Some of the most common symptoms of liver cancer are:

• Weight loss (without trying)
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling very full after a small meal
• Nausea or vomiting
• An enlarged liver, felt as fullness under the ribs on the right side
• An enlarged spleen, felt as fullness under the ribs on the left side
• Pain in the abdomen (belly) or near the right shoulder blade
• Swelling or fluid buildup in the abdomen (belly)
• Itching
• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Fever
• Enlarged veins on the belly that can be seen through the skin
• Abnormal bruising or bleeding

People who have chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis might feel worse than usual or just have changes on lab test results, such as liver function tests or alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels.

Less common symptoms of liver cancer

Some liver tumors make hormones that act on organs other than the liver. These hormones may cause:

• High blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea, confusion, constipation, weakness, or muscle problems
• Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), which can cause fatigue or fainting
• In men, breast enlargement (gynecomastia) and/or testicle shrinkage
• High red blood cell counts (erythrocytosis), which can cause someone to look red and flushed
• High cholesterol levels

Having one or more of the signs or symptoms above does not mean you have liver cancer. In fact, many of these signs and symptoms are more likely to be caused by other conditions. Still, if you have any of them, it’s important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.