Symptoms of liver cancer

Often there are no symptoms in the early stages of liver cancer because the liver can function very well when only a portion of it is working.

If you do notice any symptoms, they are usually vague and similar to symptoms for other liver conditions. They may include:

  • fatigue (tiredness) and weakness
  • a general feeling of poor health
  • loss of appetite
  • feeling sick (nausea) and vomiting
  • loss of weight
  • pain or discomfort over the liver area (place your right hand over the lower right hand side of your ribs and it will just about cover the area of your liver)
  • itchy skin
  • fine blood vessels visible on the skin in a radial pattern resembling the legs of a spider (known as spider naevi)
  • enlarged and tender liver (you may feel tender below your right ribs)
  • dark urine/grey pale stools (faeces)
  • loss of sex drive (libido).

Do not be afraid to discuss these symptoms with your doctor they may be the first indication that something is wrong.

Serious symptoms

Some symptoms may be a sign of a serious problem. If you have any of these you should seek medical advice at once:

  • skin and eyes turning yellow (jaundice) – often the first and sometimes the only sign of liver disease
  • swelling of the abdomen, which can be due to the growing cancer itself or a build up of fluid within the abdomen (ascites)
  • fever with high temperatures and shivers
  • vomiting blood
  • dark black tarry stools (faeces).