Risks and causes of liver cancer
This page tells you about the possible risks and causes of liver cancer. There is information about
Liver cancer risks and causes
Primary liver cancer is relatively rare. It is more common in men than in women. About 1 in every 100 cancers diagnosed in the UK is a primary liver cancer.
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is a risk factor. Risk factors for liver cancer include scarring of the liver due to previous damage (cirrhosis), infection with hepatitis viruses, taking anabolic steroids, having a family history of liver cancer, and smoking. People who are infected with hepatitis B or C have a higher risk of liver cancer if they smoke.
Other possible risk factors include arsenic, which is a poison found in the drinking water of some developing countries, having diabetes, being overweight, having a lowered immunity, and taking some types of the contraceptive pill.
Primary and secondary cancer
Most cases of 'liver cancer' in the UK are cancer that has spread into the liver (secondary liver cancer). If you have secondary liver cancer, this is not the right section for you. Go to 'Your cancer type' to find information that relates to your type of primary cancer.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About liver cancer section.
Primary liver cancer is relatively rare. It is more common in men than in women. About 1 in every 100 cancers diagnosed in the UK is a primary liver cancer. In total, about 3,400 cases are diagnosed in the UK each year. Compared to almost 46,000 cases of breast cancer and over 38,000 cases of colorectal cancer each year, you can see that it is not common.
You may hear a lot about liver cancer in the UK but most cases are cancer that has spread into the liver (secondary liver cancer) and not primary liver cancer. If you have secondary liver cancer, this is not the right section for you. You need to look for information in the section of CancerHelp UK that relates to your type of primary cancer.
Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is a risk factor. Different cancers have different risk factors. Doctors and scientists do not know exactly what causes liver cancer. But some things do increase the risk. Even if you have one or more risk factors, it doesn't mean that you will definitely get the disease. We know of several risk factors for liver cancer. Just because researchers investigate something, that doesn't mean it will definitely turn out to be a risk factor.
Cirrhosis means scarring of the liver due to previous damage. This scarring can cause problems with the way the liver works. Having cirrhosis increases your risk of getting liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC). The risk varies, depending on the cause of the cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can be caused by
- Virus infections such as hepatitis B or C
- Alcohol
- Inherited diseases such as haemochromatosis and Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
Long term infection with hepatitis B or C increases the risk of developing primary liver cancer because it causes damage to the liver (cirrhosis). If you have hepatitis B or C infection, it is important not to drink alcohol. If you do drink, it can further increase your risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Hepatitis A and hepatitis E do not increase the risk of liver cancer.
People who are infected with hepatitis B or C have a higher risk of liver cancer if they smoke. Some studies have shown this risk to be more than a hundred times higher than that of non-smokers who don't have hepatitis infection. The effect of smoking on liver cancer for adults who don't have one of these viruses is not yet fully known. A higher risk of hepatoblastoma has been shown in children growing up in a household where both parents smoke.
People with diabetes have a risk of liver cancer that is 2 or 3 times higher than people who do not have diabetes.
HIV and AIDS lower immunity. An overview of individual studies showed that people with HIV or AIDS have a risk of liver cancer that is five times higher than people who don't have HIV or AIDS.
After organ transplants, people have to take medicines to stop their body rejecting the transplant. These medicines lower immunity and people who take them have double the usual risk of liver cancer.
The increased risk of liver cancer may be because people with low immunity are more likely to become infected with hepatitis B or C.
Anabolic steroids are hormones that some athletes and body builders use to increase their muscle bulk. Taking anabolic steroids slightly increases the risk of getting liver cancer if they are used long term.
Taking oral contraceptives (the pill) can increase the risk of developing a benign condition of the liver called hepatic adenoma. Some studies have shown that some types of the oral contraceptive pill can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. However, this research is inconclusive and is mostly based on oral contraceptives that were used in the past and contained higher doses of hormones than the pills used now.
Aflatoxin is a substance found in mouldy peanuts, wheat, soya beans, groundnuts, corn and rice. People from Africa and Asia who have eaten these over a long period of time have an increased risk of developing hepatocellular liver cancer.
Arsenic is a poison found in drinking water in some developing countries. Long term exposure to arsenic increases the risk of developing liver cancer.
Two reviews were carried out into all the results of research into bodyweight and liver cancer risk. One showed no association of liver cancer with bodyweight, but the other study showed that risk of liver cancer is higher in overweight and obese people. The review that showed an increased risk included more studies and it seems likely that being overweight does increase the risk of liver cancer. Diabetes is more common in people who are overweight, so this may partly explain the link.
An American study found that people who have a first degree relative (parent, brother or sister) diagnosed with liver cancer have a risk of developing it that is 4 times higher than usual. One study has shown an increased risk of liver cancer in people with a father and brother diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Research has shown that people who drink one or two cups of coffee a day may reduce their risk of liver cancer by 23 to 43%.
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