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The Merck Manual--Second Home Edition logo
 
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Chapter 139. Liver Tumors
Topics: Introduction | Hemangioma | Hepatocellular Adenoma | Hepatoma | Other Primary Liver Cancers | Metastatic Liver Cancer
 
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Introduction

Liver tumors may be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous liver tumors are classified as primary (originating in the liver) or metastatic (spreading from elsewhere in the body). Most liver cancers are metastatic; the liver is particularly vulnerable to metastatic cancer because of the large volume of blood that it filters from the heart and the digestive tract.

Noncancerous liver tumors are relatively common and usually cause no symptoms. Most are detected only when people happen to undergo a scanning test--such as an ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)--for an unrelated reason. However, in rare cases, some noncancerous tumors cause the liver to enlarge or to bleed into the abdominal cavity. The liver usually functions normally even when a noncancerous tumor is present, and results of liver function tests are usually within normal limits.

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