Section 10. Liver and Gallbladder Disorders

Chapter 139. Liver Tumors

Topics: Introduction | Hemangioma | Hepatocellular Adenoma | Hepatoma | Other Primary Liver Cancers | Metastatic Liver Cancer

Hepatocellular Adenoma

A hepatocellular adenoma is a common noncancerous liver tumor that may be mistaken for a cancerous tumor and that in rare cases may rupture and bleed.

Hepatocellular adenomas occur mainly in women of childbearing age, particularly among those who use oral contraceptives.

These tumors usually cause no symptoms, so most remain undetected. Rarely, a hepatocellular adenoma suddenly ruptures and bleeds into the abdominal cavity, requiring emergency surgery. Hepatocellular adenomas caused by oral contraceptive use often disappear when the woman stops taking the drug. In extremely rare cases, a hepatocellular adenoma becomes cancerous, in which case treatment is the same as that for a hepatoma.