Symptoms of liver cancer
Main symptoms of liver cancer
Liver cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot.
The symptoms are the same if the liver cancer starts in the liver (primary liver cancer) or spreads from another part of the body (secondary liver cancer).
Symptoms of liver cancer can include:
- the whites of your eyes turning yellow or your skin turning yellow, which may be less obvious on brown or black skin (jaundice) – you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
- loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- feeling tired or having no energy
- feeling generally unwell or having symptoms like flu
- a lump in the right side of your tummy
Other symptoms can affect your digestion, such as:
- feeling or being sick
- pain at the top right side of your tummy or in your right shoulder
- symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling full very quickly when eating
- a very swollen tummy that is not related to when you eat
Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
- your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow
- you're being sick for more than 2 days
111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.
You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you have:
- a lump in your tummy
- lost a lot of weight without trying
- symptoms of liver cancer that get worse or do not get better after 2 weeks
Important
Many of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by different conditions.
Having them does not definitely mean you have liver cancer. But it's important to get them checked by a GP.
This is because if they're caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.
What happens at the GP appointment
The GP may feel your tummy. They may also listen to your chest.
The GP may refer you to see a specialist in hospital for more tests if they think you have a condition that needs to be investigated.
This may be an urgent referral, usually within 2 weeks, if you have certain symptoms.
This does not definitely mean you have cancer.
Find out more
Cancer Research UK: seeing a GP with symptoms that could be caused by liver cancer
Page last reviewed: 13 June 2023
Next review due: 13 June 2026