Is liver lump cancer?

In most cases, the lump in the liver is benign and, therefore, is not dangerous, especially when it appears in people without known liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, being discovered accidentally in routine examinations. In this case, the nodule may be just a cyst, which is a kind of sachet with liquid content that can be caused by parasites, an abscess or caused by bacteria, for example. In the case of cysts caused by parasites or abscesses, they usually need proper treatment.

Generally, benign nodules do not cause symptoms and, therefore, need only be evaluated regularly with tests such as tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, to identify whether they are growing in size. If this happens, and the lump increases in size, it can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain and digestive changes, in which case they must be removed by surgery. When the nodule is suspected, it may also be necessary to perform a biopsy to make the definitive diagnosis.

In the case of a malignant nodule, it is usually either a metastasis and occurs in people with cancer in another location or it is a cancer of the liver itself, called hepatocellular carcinoma, which usually appears in people with liver disease. For this reason, every time a liver nodule appears in a person with cirrhosis, there are many chances of being cancer and, therefore, one should go to the hepatologist to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment. Learn more about liver tumor and how to treat it.

What can be a lump in the liver

The appearance of a lump in the liver can have several causes. The most common include:

1. Cysts and abscesses

Many cases of lump in the liver are just a cyst. Cysts are usually simple, benign and cause no symptoms and therefore do not need treatment. When caused by parasites, they can cause symptoms and need removal by surgery or drainage of their contents. More rarely, there are cysts associated with genetic diseases, that is, that are born with the person, and that are usually in large numbers. In this case, transplantation is the most indicated treatment. Other times there are more suspected cysts of malignancy, which have to be treated more quickly.

The nodule may also be an abscess, which needs antibiotic treatment or eventually be drained or aspirated with a needle.

In the case of both cysts and abscesses, tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound are usually sufficient to make the diagnosis and thus allow the hepatologist to choose the most appropriate treatment. Learn more about liver cyst and liver abscess.

2. Focal nodular hyperplasia

This is the second most common liver nodule, most common in women between 20 and 50 years old. Most of the time it does not cause symptoms, being found in routine exams. This hyperplasia has little chance of becoming malignant, so it only needs to be followed up with tests such as ultrasound, tomography or MRI. The use of the pill can promote its growth, although it is not the cause of the lump, so women who take the pill usually have follow-up every 6 or 12 months.

Treatment with surgery is recommended when there are symptoms, doubts in the diagnosis despite the exams, or when there is a suspicion that it is an adenoma, which is more at risk of malignancy or complications. Better understand what focal nodular hyperplasia is.

3. Hepatic hemangioma

Hemangioma is a congenital blood vessel malformation, that is, it is born with the person and is the most common benign liver nodule. It is usually found accidentally in routine exams, since most do not show symptoms.

The diagnosis is usually made with ultrasound, tomography or MRI, and if it is up to 5 cm, no treatment or follow-up is necessary. However, if it ends up growing beyond 5 cm, monitoring should be done every 6 months to 1 year. Sometimes it can grow quickly and compress the liver capsule or other structures, causing pain and other symptoms, or it can show signs of malignancy, and should be removed with surgery.

Boxers, soccer players and women who intend to become pregnant, and who have large hemangiomas, although without symptoms, are at risk of bleeding or rupture of the hemangioma, which are more serious situations and, therefore, they must have surgery to remove. When the person has a large hemangioma and feels severe, sudden pain and with a drop in blood pressure, he / she should quickly seek a doctor to be evaluated, as it may be one of these cases.

Read more about what hemangioma is, how to confirm it and ways of treatment.

4. Hepatic adenoma

Adenoma is a benign tumor of the liver, which is relatively rare, but is more common in women between 20 and 40 years, since the use of the pill greatly increases the chances of developing it. In addition to the pill, the use of anabolic steroids and some genetic diseases of glycogen accumulation can also increase the chances of developing it.

The adenoma is usually found during examinations due to complaints of abdominal pain or, as an accidental finding in routine examinations. The diagnosis can be made with ultrasound, tomography or MRI, which allow to distinguish adenoma from focal nodular hyperplasia from liver cancer, for example.

As in most cases the adenoma is less than 5 cm and therefore has a low risk of cancer and complications such as bleeding or rupture, it does not need treatment and can simply be followed up with regular examinations, which in the case of menopause should be done annually. Adenomas larger than 5 cm, on the other hand, have a higher risk of complications or of becoming cancer, and may have to be removed with surgery. Understand better about liver adenoma and its complications.

When the lump may be cancer

When the person has no history of liver disease, the nodule is usually benign and does not represent cancer. However, when there is already liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, there is a greater chance that the nodule may be cancer, which is called hepatocellular carcinoma.

In addition, the nodule may also arise due to the presence of cancer in another location, representing in this case a metastasis of that other cancer.

When can it be hepatocellular carcinoma

Alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatitis are the main liver diseases that lead to the appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma. For this reason, it is very important to carry out the correct follow-up with the hepatologist, when there is a risk of developing these diseases, in order to reduce the chances of cancer.

So, if the person has:

• History of blood transfusions; Tattoos; Injecting drug use; Alcohol consumption; Family history of chronic liver disease such as cirrhosis.

You may be at risk of developing liver disease and / or cancer, and it is recommended to see a hepatologist to assess the chances of having liver disease and start appropriate treatment, if necessary.

When can it be metastasis

The liver is a common place for metastases to appear, especially when there is some type of cancer in the digestive system, such as stomach, pancreas and colon, but also cancer of the breast or lungs.

Often the person may not have any symptoms when they discover the cancer has already metastasized, other times non-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain, malaise, weakness and weight loss for no apparent reason may be the only indication of cancer.

See what types of cancer can cause liver metastases.

What to do if you suspect cancer

When a person has symptoms such as abdominal bloating, intestinal bleeding, changes in mental status, yellow eyes and skin, or weight loss for no reason, there is likely to be some liver disease or even liver cancer. Sometimes symptoms are less specific, such as weakness and weight loss for no reason, but they may be the only sign of cancer.

Thus, when the person has this type of complaints, he / she should go to the hepatologist or general practitioner, who will make an appropriate assessment, with some tests to try to understand the origin of the cancer and, from there, indicate the most correct treatment.

Treatment will depend on whether the cancer is from the liver or whether it is metastatic. If it is metastasis, it will be according to the type of cancer that originated it. In the case of liver cancer, treatment can be curative, when it is small and you can remove it, or if you can do a liver transplant, but other times, when the cancer is more advanced and the cure is not possible, the treatment can only slow the growth of cancer and thus prolong the life of the person for longer.