Liver cancer can be a primary cancer, meaning it starts in the liver, or a secondary cancer, meaning it starts in another part of the body and spreads to the liver.
Secondary liver cancers are more common than primary liver cancers. Primary liver cancer is one of the less common cancers in Victoria. Liver cancer usually has no symptoms in the early stages.
Cause of liver cancer:
Liver cancer is often caused by damage to the liver due to:
- cirrhosis – scarring of the liver tissue from alcohol
- long-term infection with a hepatitis virus – hepatitis B, C or D
- some chemicals – (for example, arsenic) that are now rarely used
- smoking – hepatitis B or C infection increases the risk of liver cancer in people who smoke
- diabetes – people with diabetes have a risk of liver cancer that is two or three times higher than people who do not have diabetes.
The causes of secondary liver cancer are very different to those of a primary liver cancer.
This is because secondary liver cancers means the cancer began elsewhere in the body (where the primary cancer is). The causes of secondary liver cancer will be the same as for the primary cancer type.
