Secondary liver cancer

If you’re affected by secondary liver cancer, you may have many questions about how it is diagnosed, treatment options, side effects and how to stay well. You can find trustworthy information about all aspects of your experience below.

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What is secondary liver cancer?

Cancer cells from a primary cancer in another part of the body can spread through the bloodstream or lymph vessels to the liver.

Symptoms

If the tumours are small, secondary liver cancer may have no symptoms. As the cancer grows or spreads, a range of symptoms may occur.

Getting diagnosed

Find out about the tests for secondary liver cancer, how it is diagnosed and staged, and who will provide your care.

Treating secondary liver cancer

The main treatment for secondary liver cancer is chemotherapy or a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

Managing symptoms

Secondary liver cancer can cause various symptoms, but there are ways to manage them.

Questions for your doctorAsking your doctor questions will help you make informed decisions. Here’s a list of questions you may want to ask.

Print these questions

What treatment do you recommend and why?
What is the aim of the treatment?
What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment?
Will the treatment affect my sex life and fertility?
Are there any out-of-pocket expenses not covered by Medicare or my private health cover? Can the cost be reduced if I can’t afford it?
Should I change my diet or physical activity during or after treatment?
If I don’t have the treatment, what should I expect?
How long do I have to make a decision?
How will I know if the treatment is working?
Will I have a lot of pain? What can be done about it?
Are there any complementary therapies that might help me?

Learn about primary liver cancer, and how it is diagnosed and treated.

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