Your doctor will discuss your specific symptoms with you. Tests to diagnose both primary and secondary liver cancer include:
Blood tests – check how well your liver is functioning, as well as checking certain chemicals known as tumour markers, whether you have hepatitis B or C, and any genetic problems.
Ultrasound – the most commonly used method to look for primary liver cancer, it can show the size and location of abnormal tissue in your liver.
CT scan – takes three-dimensional pictures of several organs at the same time, and can help doctors plan surgery, if required. It can also see if the cancer has spread.
MRI scan – produces detailed cross-sectional pictures of the body and can show the size of a tumour and whether it is affecting the main blood vessels around the liver.
PET-CT scan – more commonly used for secondary cancers in the liver, PET– CT scans produce three-dimensional colour images that show where any cancers are in the body.
Biopsy – when a small amount of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope.
A biopsy is done by either:
- fine needle aspiration, which involves a local anaesthetic, and a thin needle which removes the cells
- laparoscopy (keyhole surgery), which is done under general anaesthetic and allows the doctor to look at the liver and surrounding organs, as well as take tissue samples using a laparoscope.
If you have secondary cancer in the liver, you may have further tests to find out where the primary cancer started, if this is not already known.
